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LISKARY' 

UNIVEI^SITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

RIVERSIDE 


THE    CELL/IK  r^DOr  SliCI 


^^b^  l)4d  (Ut^Um 


'^^^JitA'^l^cJC   iiAaAy\y 


R.  P.  UND^'P  '-f=:R 

1867   Ai.VA .  ON    R3. 
E.  CL^-VELAND  12,  OHIO 


LIBERIA 

DESCRIPTION 

HISTORY 

PROBLEMS 


BY 

FREDERICK  STARR 


CHICAGO 

1913 


\)\ 


Copyrighted,  1913 

Bv  FREDERICK  STARR 

i    ' 

!  CHICAGO 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  TO 

WILLIAM  N.  SELIG 

OF  CHICAGO 

IN  EVIDENCE  OF  APPRECIATION  AND  AS 
A  TOKEN  OF  REGARD 


PREFACE 

Africa  has  been  partitioned  among  the  nations.  The 
little  kingdom  of  Abyssinia,  in  the  north,  and  the  Re- 
public of  Liberia,  upon  the  west  coast,  are  all  of  the 
continent  that  remain  in  the  hands  of  Africans.  Li- 
beria alcme  is  in  the  hands  of  negroes.  Will  it  remain 
so,  or  is  it  destined  to  disappear?  Is  it  a  failure? 
The  reports  which  have  so  frequently  been  printed  in 
books  of  travel  and  elementary  treatises  of  ethnology 
appear  almost  unanimous  in  the  assertion  that  it  is. 
Yet  there  are  those  who  believe  that  the  Black  Re- 
public is  far  indeed  from  being  a  failure.  We  are 
not  willing  to  admit  that  its  history  and  conditions 
warrant  the  assumption  that  the  black  man  is  inca- 
pable of  conducting  an  independent  government.  A 
successful  Liberia  would  be  a  star  of  hope  to  the  Dark 
Continent.  In  Liberian  success  there  lies  African 
Redemption;  redemption,  not  only  in  the  religious 
sense,  but  redemption  economic,  social,  governmental. 
If  the  black  men  can  stand  alone  in  Liberia,  he  can 
stand  alone  elsewhere ;  if  the  negro  is  able  to  organize 
and  maintain  a  government  on  the  west  coast,  he  can 
do  the  same  on  the  east  coast,  and  in  the  southern  part 
of  Africa.  Africa  is  restless  under  the  white  man ; 
it  makes  no  difference  whether  the  ruler  be  Portu- 
guese, French,  German,  Spanish,  Belgian,  or  English, 
the  native  is  dissatisfied  under  the  present  regime.  It 
is  recognized  that  a  spark  may  cause  a  conflagration 
through  negro  Africa.  On  the  other  hand,  the  colonial 
burden  of  the  European  governments  grows  heavy; 
the  trade  advantages  of  holding  Africa  might  be 
erjually  gained  without  the  expense  and  trouble  of 
administration;   it  is  mutual  jealousy,  not  great  sue- 


VI  PREFACE. 

cess,  which  holds  the  European  powers  in  Africa. 
Were  each  convinced  that  withdrawal  would  not  give 
advantage  to  other  powers,  that  abdication  would  not 
be  recognized  as  weakness,  that  free  trade  with  black 
men  might  not  result  in  individual  national  advan- 
tage, they  would  be  quite  ready  to  withdraw  from  the 
Dark  Continent.  In  every  colony  the  native  is  ad- 
vancing; education  becomes  more  general;  it  must 
continue  to  diffuse  itself,  and  with  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge among  the  natives,  restlessness  will  be  increased ; 
the  colonial  burden  will  become  heavier, — not  lighter. 
If  Liberia  prospers,  it  will  stand  as  an  example  of 
what  black  men  can  do  to  all  the  other  negro  popula- 
tions of  the  continent;  its  example  would  stimulate 
advance  for  all;  the  sight  of  enterprises  originating 
with  negroes  and  carried  out  by  them  would  give 
heart  and  stimulus  to  negroes  everywhere.  This  does 
not  mean  that  all  the  European  colonies  should  neces- 
sarily become  republics;  far  from  it.  Nor  would  it 
mean,  unless  the  home  governments  were  blind  and 
ignorant,  a  necessary  severance  between  the  mother 
country  and  its  colonies;  it  would,  however,  lead  to 
a  great  measure  of  home  rule  and  to  a  large  develop- 
ment of  self-government.  Wauwermans,  years  ago, 
recognized  the  powerful  influence  which  a  successful 
Liberia  must  needs  exert.  He  says :  ' '  From  this  little 
state,  the  size  of  Belgium,  whose  population  does  not 
surpass,  including  the  natives,  a  fifth  part  of  the  pop- 
ulation of  our  country,  will  go  forth  perhaps  some 
day  the  best  imaginable  missionaries  to  extend 
over  the  Black  Continent  the  benefits  of  civiliza- 
tion and  to  found  the  free  United  States  of  Africa, 
sufficiently  powerful  to  defy  the  covetousness  of  white 
men  and  to  make  justice  reign,  so  far  as  it  can  reign 
among  men." 

One  of  the  most  thoughtful  writers  regarding  the 
Republic  is  Delafosse  who,  for  a  time,  was  French 
Consul  at  Monrovia.  He  has  written  upon  Liberia  on 
various  occasions,  and  what  he  says  always  deserves 
consideration.    On  the  whole  he  is  not  a  hostile  critic, 


PREFACE.  VU 

having  a  rather  friendly  feeling  toward  Liberians  and 
being  deeply  interested  in  the  Republic.  We  trans- 
late some  passages  from  his  writings,  as  his  point  of 
view  is  original.  He  says:  "If  one  consider  the 
Liberians  superhcially — civilized,  clad,  knowing  how 
to  read  and  write,  living  in  relatively  comfortable 
houses, — one  will  probably  hnd  them  superior  to  the 
natives.  Actually,  they  are  rather  inferior  to  them, 
as  well  from  the  moral  point  of  view  as  from  the  point 
of  view  of  general  well-being." 

Further  on  he  says :  ' '  First,  along  the  coast  and  in 
the  east,  we  see  the  Krumen,  a  race  of  workers,  ener- 
getic, proud,  and  fighters,  but  honest,  rejoicing  in  a 
fine  physical  and  moral  health,  jealous  of  the  virtue  of 
their  women,  of  a  most  careful  cleanliness.  What  a 
contrast  do  they  make  by  the  side  of  the  idle  and  non- 
chalant Liberians,  expecting  everything  from  the 
State,  subject  to  every  kind  of  congenital  disease,  and 
in  particular  to  tuberculosis,  never  washing  them- 
selves, nourishing  themselves  with  food  which  a  native 
slave  would  not  accept,  decimated  by  a  considerable 
mortality,  having  generally  very  few  children,  of 
whom,  moreover,  the  greater  part  are  born  scrawny, 
weak,  devoted  beforehand  to  an  early  death ! 

If  we  cast  our  eyes  upon  the  natives  of  the  west  and 
north,  the  Vai  and  other  tribes  of  the  Mandingo  race, 
it  is  a  different  grade  of  comparison  which  offers  it- 
self to  us,  but  always  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  Libe- 
rians. These  natives  half  islamized,  have,  much  more 
than  the  Liberians,  the  sentiment  of  human  dignity, 
and  their  costume,  fitted  to  the  climate  and  the  race, 
far  from  rendering  them  ridiculous,  as  the  European 
does  the  Liberians,  is  not  devoid  of  a  certain  testhetic 
character.  They  have,  the  Vai  and  the  Manienka, 
above  all,  a  superior  intelligence  of  commercial  affairs. 
The  Vai  have  even  a  self-civilization  which  makes  this 
little  tribe  one  of  the  most  interesting  peoples  of 
Africa;  alone,  of  all  the  negroes  known,  they  possess 
an  alphabet  suited  to  the  writing  of  their  language, 
and  this  alphabet,   which  they  have  completely  in- 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

vented  themselves,  has  no  relationship  with  any  other 
known  alphabet.  A  Vai  native  named  Momolu  Mas- 
saquoi  has  just  established  at  Ghendimah,  not  far 
from  the  Anglo-Liberian  boundary,  a  sort  of  model 
village,  and  in  this  village,  a  school  where  he  jjroposes 
to  teach  the  language  and  the  literature  of  his  coun- 
try. I  do  not  know  what  is  the  result  of  this  attempt, 
but  it  seems  to  me  interesting,  being  an  attempt  purely 
indigenous  in  character  toward  perfectment,  at- 
tempted alongside  of  the  effort  toward  perfectionment 
by  adaptation  of  European  civilization  which  has  so 
badly  succeeded  in  Liberia." 

Again,  after  having  given  an  attractive  description 
of  the  first  impression  made  upon  the  stranger  by 
Liberia  and  its  inhabitants,  our  author  proceeds  to 
say:  "Now,  the  spectacle  which  offers  itself  to  the 
eyes  of  the  visitor  is  less  beautiful.  It  is  the  spec- 
tacle of  a  nation  in  decadence.  And  this  fact  of  a 
nation  not  yet  a  century  old  which,  starting  from 
nothing,  raised  itself  in  twenty  years  to  its  apogee, 
and  has  commenced,  at  the  end  of  barely  sixty  years, 
to  fall  into  decay,  this  fact,  I  say,  deserves  that  one 
should  pause,  for  at  first  sight  it  is  not  natural.  And 
it  can  only  find  its  explanation  in  the  theory  which 
I  attempt  to  develop  here,  to  wit:  That  the  negroes 
in  general,  and  the  Liberians  in  particular,  are  emi- 
nently susceptible  of  perfectionment  and  progress, 
but  that  this  perfectionment  and  this  progress  are 
destined  to  a  sudden  check,  and  even  to  a  prompt 
decadence,  if  one  has  sought  to  orient  them  in  the 
direction  of  our  European  civilization. 

I  have  said  that  the  spectacle  which  offers  itself 
today  to  the  eyes  of  the  visitor  is  that  of  a  nation  in 
decadence.  In  fact,  the  beautiful  broad  streets  cut 
at  the  beginning  still  exist,  but  they  are  invaded  by 
vegetation  and  guttered  by  deep  gullies  which  the 
rains  have  cut  and  which  one  does  not  trouble  to 
fill  up;  the  enclosing  walls  about  the  different  prop- 
erties are  half  destroyed,  without  any  one's  seeking 
to  repair  them;  a  mass  of  houses  in  ruin  take  away 


PREFACE.  IX 

from  the  smiling  and  attractive  aspect  of  the  city; 
even  houses  in  process  of  construction  are  in  ruins; 
a  superb  college  building  erected  at  great  expense 
upon  the  summit  of  the  cape,  is  abandoned,  and  one 
permits  it  to  be  invaded  by  the  forest  and  weathered 
by  the  rain;  the  stairway  which  leads  to  the  upper 
story  of  Representatives'  Hall,  having  crumbled,  has 
never  been  reconstructed,  and  a  sort  of  provisional 
flight  of  steps  has  been  for  years  back  the  only  means 
of  access  which  permits  the  cabinet  officers  to  enter 
their  offices ;  the  landings  waste  away  stone  by  stone, 
and  it  is  diflficult  to  draw  boats  up  to  them ;  the  shops 
where  one  formerly  constructed  vessels  and  landing- 
boats,  have  disappeared;  roads,  from  lack  of  care, 
have  almost  everywhere  become  native  trails  again; 
the  plantations  of  sugar-cane  and  ginger  are  matters 
of  ancient  history,  and  fields,  which  formerly  were 
well  cultivated,  have  returned  to  the  state  of  virgin 
forest;  coffee  plantations  have  run  wild,  choked  by 
the  rank  vegetation  of  the  tropics.  The  level  of  in- 
struction has  lowered,  the  new  generations  receive 
only  an  education  of  primary  grade ;  of  the  University 
of  Monrovia  there  remains  only  the  najne  and  some 
mortarboard  caps  which  one  at  times  sees  upon  the 
heads  of  professors  and  candidates. 

All,  however,  is  not  dead  in  the  Republic.  There 
is  yet  a  nucleus  of  Liberians  of  the  ancient  time, 
remarkably  instructed  and  civilized,  excellent  orators, 
fine  conversationalists,  writers  of  talent.  There  are 
also  among  the  young  people  some  choice  minds,  who 
desire  to  elevate  the  intellectual  and  moral  level  of 
their  country  and  who  seek  to  do  so  by  published 
articles,  by  lectures,  by  literary  clubs,  and  by  new 
schools. ' ' 

There  is  much  food  for  thought  in  these  state- 
ments of  Delafosse.  Some  of  his  arraignment  is  true ; 
on  the  whole,  it  is  less  true  to-day  than  when  he  wrote. 
There  was  a  period  when  the  Liberians  were  quite 
discouraged  and  things  were  neglected.  Much  of  this 
neglect  still  exists.     It  would  be  possible  to-day  to 


X  PREFACE. 

find  houses  falling  to  ruins,  crumbling  walls,  guttered 
streets,  unsatisfactory  landing-places.  But  a  new 
energy  is  rising;  the  effects  of  efforts  put  forth  by 
the  nucleus  which  Delafosse  himself  recognizes  as 
existing  in  Liberia  are  being  felt;  contact  with  the 
outside  world  with  its  stimulus,  sympathies,  and 
friendships,  warrants  the  hope  that  the  future 
Liberia  will  surpass  the  past.  We  make  no  attempt 
to  answer  Delafosse  in  detail;  in  the  body  of  our 
book  most  of  the  questions  raised  by  his  remarks  are 
discussed  with  some  fullness. 

In  this  book  we  attempt  to  represent  the  negro 
republic  as  it  is — Description,  History,  Problems.  We 
have  desired  to  paint  a  just  picture ;  some  may  think 
it  too  favorable;  to  such  we  would  say  that,  when 
there  have  been  so  many  unfair,  unjust,  and  biased 
statements,  it  is  necessary  that  some  one  should  say 
things  that  are  favorable,  so  that  they  be  true.  We 
have  no  right  to  demand  more  from  Liberia  than  we 
would  expect  from  any  white  colony  with  everything 
in  its  favor ;  yet  that  is  precisely  what  everybody  does. 
We  demand  perfection.  We  forget  that  perfection 
is  not  yet  attained  in  any  country,  among  people  of 
any  color.  It  is  unreasonable  to  demand  it  in  a  small 
African  republic  of  black  men.  There  is  no  fairness 
even  in  comparing  Liberia  with  English  and  French 
colonies  like  Sierra  Leone  and  Senegal.  They  have 
had  much  done  for  them.  The  financial  resources, 
the  trained  forces,  the  wise  judgment  of  rich  and 
powerful  nations  have  aided  them.  Liberia  has 
worked  alone,  blindly,  in  poverty. 

While  to  some  we  may  seem  to  paint  an  unduly 
favorable  picture,  it  is  probable  that  Liberians  will 
claim  that  we  have  dragged  some  things  to  light  which 
should  be  left  unmentioned.  We  have  mentioned 
many  of  the  weaknesses  of  Liberia  and  her  people. 
This  has  been  done  for  several  reasons.  It  is  a  good 
thing  to  "see  ourselves  as  others  see  us";  the  weak 
points  of  Liberia  are  always  emphasized  by  critics, 
they  can  not  well  be  ignored  by  friends.    If  we  are  to 


PREFACE.  XI  ' 

improve,  we  must  clearly  realize  the  opportunity  and 
necessity  for  improvement.  The  worst  things,  after 
all,  about  Liberia  are  largely  inherent  in  its  form  of 
government,  or  are  due  to  the  descent  of  the  Americo- 
Liberians  from  American  slaves.  They  must  fight 
against  these  inherent  dangers  and  tendencies  of  demo- 
cratic government  and  against  the  disadvantages  of 
American  inheritance,  as  we  do. 

From  time  to  time,  in  reading,  we  have  gathered  a 
considerable  number  of  quotations  from  Liberians, 
past  and  present,  which  seem  to  us  of  special  interest 
and  pertinence.  These  we  have  prefaced  to  the  chap- 
ters and  sub-divisions  of  our  book.  They  are  all 
expressions  of  black  men  regarding  their  home  and 
problems.  Some  of  them  are  eloquent,  all  of  them 
are  sensible.  Thoughtful  Liberians  have  never  been 
blind  to  national  dangers,  national  weaknesses, 
national  problems. 

The  materials  which  we  present  have  been  culled 
from  many  sources ;  the  book  contains  little  that  is 
absolutely  new.  For  its  preparation  we  have  read 
double  the  literature  which  has  been  found  mentioned 
in  bibliographies  and  in  books  treating  of  Liberia. 
"We  have  made  constant  use  of  Johnston,  Wauwer- 
mans,  Delafosse,  Jore,  and  Stockwell.  As  the  book 
is  meant  for  general  reading,  we  have  made  no  precise 
references.  This  is  not  due  to  neglect  of  writers  and 
sources,  but  is  in  the  nature  of  our  treatment.  We 
present  no  bibliography;  it  would  be  easy  to  fill 
pages  with  the  titles  of  books  and  articles,  dealing 
with  Liberia,  but  such  a  list  would  be  mere  pedantry 
here,  especially  as  four-fifths  of  the  works  named 
would  be  absolutely  inaccessible  even  to  students 
with  the  best  library  equipment  at  their  disposition. 
The  author  has  made  a  considerable  collection  of 
pamphlets  printed  in  Liberia,  by  Liberian  authors, 
dealing  with  Liberian  matters.  A  list  of  these  almost 
unknown  prints  would  have  real  interest  for  the 
special  student  of  Liberian  affairs  and  for  professional 


XU  PREFACE. 

librarians;  such  a  list  may  perhaps  be  printed  later, 
in  separate  form. 

Thanks  are  due  to  so  many  friends  and  helpers 
that  it  is  impossible  to  make  individual  acknowledg- 
ment. We  were  treated  with  great  courtesy,  while 
in  Liberia;  from  President  Howard  in  the  Executive 
Mansion  to  the  school  children  upon  the  village  streets, 
every  one  was  kind.  It  was  generally  recognized  that 
the  author  was  a  white  visitor  to  the  Republic  without 
a  personal  axe  to  grind.  He  represented  no  govern- 
ment, no  commission,  no  institution,  was  seeking  no 
concession,  had  no  mission — a  rara  avis  truly.  While 
it  would  be  impossible  to  name  all  from  whom  kind- 
ness and  courtesy  were  received — for  that  would  be 
an  enumeration  of  all  we  met — we  may  perhaps  men- 
tion as  particularly  kind  Ex-President  Barclay,  F.  E. 
R.  Johnson,  T.  McCants  Stewart,  C.  B.  Dunbar, 
Bishop  Ferguson  and  Vice-President  Harmon.  To 
Major  Charles  Young,  military  attache  to  the  Ameri- 
can Legation,  we  are  under  greater  obligations  than 
we  can  mention.  Campbell  Marvin  was  our  companion 
and  helper  throughout  our  visit  to  the  Republic,  and 
gave  us  faithful  aid  in  every  way.  We  dedicate  the 
book  to  William  N  Selig,  of  Chicago,  whose  kindness 
and  interest  made  the  expedition  possible. 

The  book  is  written  in  the  hope  of  arousing  some 
interest  in  Liberia  and  its  people  and  of  kindling 
sympathy  with  them  in  the  effort  they  are  making 
to  solve  their  problems.  For  Liberia  is  the  hope  of 
the  Dark  Continent.  Through  her,  perhaps,  African 
Redemption  is  to  come. 


CONTENTS 


DESCRIPTION. 

Physiography    1 

Political  Geography   21 

Society    25 

Government    36 

Economics    43 

HISTORY. 

1821—1828  52 

1828—1838  71 

1838—1847  80 

1847—1913  88 

PROBLEMS. 

Boundary  Questions  ICO 

The  Frontier  Force   118 

Development  of  Trade  and  Transportation 131 

The  Native   144 

Education 160 

Immigration    185 

Public  Debt  and  Foreign  Loans  199 

Politics    210 

The  Appeal  to  the  United  States 221 

REPRINT    ARTICLES. 

The  Liberian  Crisis  (Vniti/,  March  25,  1909) 229 

The  Needs  of  Liberia  (The  Open  Court,  March,  1913) . .  .231 
A  Sojourner  in  Liberia  (The  t^pirit  of  Misstonfi,  April, 

1913)     231 

xiii 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

Liberia,  the  Hope  of  the  Dark  Continent  {JJnitif,  March 
20,  1913)    235 

What  Liberia  Needs  {The  Independent,  April  3,  1913) . .  .235 

Should  the  African  Mission  be  Abandoned  {The  Spirit 
of  Missions,  August,  1913)    241 

The  People  of  Liberia  {The  Independent,  August  14, 
1913)     244 

APPENDICES. 

Leading  Events  in  Liberian  History 251 

Declaration  of  Independence  in  Convention ......257 

Constitution  of  the  Republic  of  Liberia 261 

Suggestions  to  the  United  States   273 

Presidents  and  Vice-President^;  Secretaries  of  State.... 276 
The  National   Hymn    277 


LIBERIA 


A  more  fertile  soil,  and  a  more  productive  country,  so  far 
as  it  is  cultivated,  there  is  not,  we  believe,  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Its  hills  and  its  plains  are  covered  with  a  verdure  which 
never  fades;  the  productions  of  nature  keep  on  in  their  growth 
through  all  the  seasons  of  the  year.  Even  the  natives  of  the 
country,  almost  without  farming  tools,  without  skill,  and  with 
very  little  labor,  raise  more  grain  and  vegetables  than  they  can 
consume,  and  often  more  than  they  can  sell.  Cattle,  swine,  fowls, 
ducks,  goats,  and  sheep,  thrive  without  feeding,  and  require  no 
other  care  than  to  keep  them  from  straying.  Cotton,  coffee, 
indigo,  and  the  sugar  cane,  are  all  the  spontaneous  growth  of 
our  forests,  and  may  be  cultivated  at  pleasure,  to  any  extent,  by 
such  as  are  disposed.  The  same  may  be  said  of  rice,  Indian 
corn,  Guinea  corn,  millet,  and  too  many  species  of  fruits  and 
vegetables  to  be  enumerated.  Add  to  all  this,  we  have  no  dreary 
winter  here,  for  one-half  of  the  year  to  consume  the  produc- 
tions of  the  other  half.  Nature  is  constantly  renewing  herself, 
and  constantly  pouring  her  treasures,  all  the  year  round,  into 
the  laps  of  the  industrious. — Address  by  Liberians  :  1827. 

DESCRIPTION 

Physiography — 1.     There    are    various    inherent 

difficulties  in  African   Geography.     The  population 

of  the  Dark  Continent  is  composed  of  an  enormous 

number  of  separate  tribes,  each  with  its  own  name, 

each  with  its  own  language.    Most  of  these  tribes  are 

small  and  occupy  but  small  areas.     For  a  mountain, 

or  other  conspicuous  natural  landmark,   each   tribe 

will  have  its  own  name.     What  name  is  given  by  a 

traveler  to  the  feature  will  be  a  matter  of  accident, 

depending  upon  the  tribe  among  which  he  may  be  at 

the  time  that  he  inquires  about  the  name;  different 

names  may  thus  be  easily  applied  to  the  same  place, 

and  confusion  of  course  results.     Even  within  the 
1, 

1 


2  LIBERIA, 

limits  of  a  single  tribe  different  names  in  the  one 
language  may  be  applied  to  the  same  place;  thus, 
it  is  regular  for  rivers  to  have  different  names  in 
different  parts  of  their  course;  it  is  nothing  uncom- 
mon for  the  same  river  to  have  four  or  five  names 
among  the  people  of  a  single  tribe,  for  this  reason. 
Throughout  Negro  Africa,  towns  are  generally  called 
by  the  name  of  the  chief;  when  he  dies,  the  name 
of  the  town  changes,  that  of  the  new  chief  being 
assumed.  Again,  throughout  Africa,  towns  change 
location  frequently ;  they  may  be  rebuilt  upon  almost 
the  same  spot  as  they  before  occupied,  or  they  may 
be  placed  in  distant  and  totally  new  surroundings. 
For  all  these  reasons,  it  is  difficult  to  follow  the  itine- 
rary of  any  traveler  a  few  years  after  his  report  has 
been  published.  All  these  difficulties  exist  in  Liberia, 
as  in  other  parts  of  Africa.  More  than  that,  Liberia 
has  itself  been  sadly  neglected  by  explorers.  Few 
expeditions  into  the  interior  have  been  so  reported 
as  to  give  adequate  information.  Sir  Harry  Johnston 
says  that  the  interior  of  Liberia  is  the  "least  known 
part  of  Africa." 

2.  Liberia  is  situated  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa, 
in  the  western  part  of  what  on  old  maps  was  known 
as  Upper  Guinea.  Both  Upper  and  Lower  Guinea 
have  long  been  frequented  by  European  traders; 
different  parts  of  the  long  coast  line  have  received 
special  names  according  to  the  natural  products  which 
form  their  characteristic  feature  in  trade ;  thus  we 
have  the  Grain  Coast,  Ivory  Coast,  Slave  Coast,  Gold 
Coast.  Liberia  is  the  same  as  the  old  Grain  Coast 
and  was  so  called  because  from  it  were  taken  the 
grains  of  ' '  Malagueta  Pepper, ' '  once  a  notable  import 
in  Europe.  Liberia  has  a  coast  line  of  some  350 
miles,  from  the  Mano  River  on  the  west  to  the  Caballa 
River  on  the  east  and  includes  the  country  extending 
from  7°  33'  west  to  11°  32'  west  longitude,  and 
from  4°  22'  north  to  8°  50'  north  latitude.  Its  area 
is  approximately  43,000  square  miles — a  little  more 
than  that  of  the  state  of  Ohio. 


DESCRIPTION.  3 

3.  The  coast  of  Liberia  is  for  the  most  part  low 
and  singularly  uninteresting.  Throughout  most  of  its 
extent  a  rather  narrow  sandy  beach  is  exposed  to  an 
almost  continuous  beating  of  surf;  there  is  not  a 
single  good  natural  harbor ;  where  rivers  enter  the  sea 
there  is  regularly  a  dangerous  bar;  here  and  there, 
ragged  reefs  of  rocks  render  entrance  difficult.  There 
is  no  place  where  vessels  actually  attempt  to  make 
an  entrance ;  they  regularly  anchor  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  shore  and  load  and  unload  by 
means  of  canoes  and  small  boats  sent  out  from  the 
towns.  At  Cape  Mount  near  the  western  limit  of  the 
country  a  promontory  rises  to  a  height  of  1068  feet 
above  the  sea.  It  is  the  most  striking  feature  of  the 
whole  coast.  There  is  no  other  until  Cape  Mesurado, 
upon  which  the  city  of  Monrovia  stands;  it  is  a 
notable  cliff,  but  rises  only  to  a  height  of  290  feet. 
At  Bafu  Point,  east  of  the  Sanguin  River,  there  is  a 
noticeable  height.  These  three,  diminishing  from 
west  to  east,  are  the  only  three  actual  interruptions 
in  the  monotonous  coast  line. 

4.  Five-sixths  of  the  total  area  of  the  Republic 
is  covered  with  a  forest,  dense  even  for  the  tropics. 
Almost  everywhere  this  forest  comes  close  down  to 
the  sandy  beach  and  the  impression  made  upon  the 
traveler  who  sails  along  the  coast  is  one  of  perpetual 
verdure.  The  highest  lands  are  found  in  the  east 
half  of  the  country.  In  the  region  of  the  Upper 
Caballa  River  just  outside  of  Liberia,  French  authori- 
ties claim  that  Mount  Druple  rises  to  a  height  of 
3000  meters.  The  same  authorities  claim  that  the 
highest  point  of  the  Nimba  Mountains,  which  occurs 
within  the  limits  of  Liberia,  is  about  2000  meters 
(6560  feet).  Further  south  is  the  Satro-Nidi-Kelipo 
mass  of  highlands  bordering  the  Caballa  basin  on  the 
southwest;  Sir  Harry  Johnson  claims  that  it  offers 
nothing  more  than  4000  feet  in  height.  Northeast 
of  the  Caballa  are  Gamutro  and  Duna  which  rise 
to  5000  feet.  There  are  no  heights  comparable  to 
these  found  in  the  western    half   of    the    Republic, 


4  LIBERIA, 

though  there  are  peaks  of  significance  among  the 
upper  waters  of  the  St.  Paul's  River  and  its  tribu- 
taries. In  the  lower  half  of  this  river's  course  there 
is  a  hilly  or  mountainous  region  known  as  the  Po 
Hills,  where  possible  heights  of  3000  feet  may  be 
reached.  In  the  northwestern  part  of  the  country 
the  forest  gives  way  to  the  Mandingo  Plateau,  high 
grass-land.  Benjamin  Anderson,  a  Liberian  explorer, 
says  that  he  emerged  from  the  forest  at  Bulota  where 
the  ground  rose  to  the  height  of  2253  feet.  This  pla- 
teau region  is  open  park-like  country  of  tall  grass 
with  few  trees. 

Very  little  as  yet  is  known  of  the  geology  of  Liberia. 
On  the  whole,  its  rocks  appear  to  be  ancient  metamor- 
phic  rocks — gneiss,  granulite,  amphibolite,  granites, 
pegmatite,  all  abundantly  intersected  by  quartz  veins. 
Decomposition  products  from  these  rocks  overlie  most 
of  the  country.  The  material  and  structure  of  the 
coast  region  is  concealed  by  deposits  of  recent  allu- 
vium and  the  dense  growth  of  forest;  a  conspicuous 
lithological  phenomenon  is  laterite  which  covers  very 
considerable  areas  and  is  the  result  of  the  distintegra- 
tion  of  gneiss.  As  yet  little  is  known  of  actual  min- 
eral values.  Gold  certainly  occurs;  magnetite  and 
limonite  appear  to  be  widely  distributed  and  are 
no  doubt  in  abundant  quantity;  copper,  perhaps 
native,  certainly  in  good  ores,  occurs  in  the  western 
part  of  the  country;  various  localities  of  comndum 
are  known,  and  it  is  claimed  that  rubies  of  good 
quality  have  been  found ;  companies  have  been  organ- 
ized for  the  mining  of  diamonds,  and  it  is  claimed 
that  actual  gems  are  obtained. 

5,  There  are  many  rivers  in  Liberia  and  the 
country  is  well  watered.  Several  of  these  rivers  are 
broad  in  their  lower  reaches,  but  they  are  extremely 
variable  in  depth  and  are  generally  shallow.  Few  of 
them  are  navigable  to  any  distance  from  their  mouth, 
and  then  only  by  small  boats ;  thus  the  St.  Paul 's  can 
be  ascended  only  to  a  distance  of  about  twenty  miles, 
the  Dukwia  to  a  distance  of  thirty  (but  along  a  very 


DESCRIPTION.  5 

winding  course,  so  that  one  does  not  anywhere  reach 
a  great  distance  from  the  coast),  the  Sinoe  for  fifteen 
miles,  but  by  canoes,  the  Caballa  (the  longest  of  all 
Liberian  rivers)    to  eighty  miles. 

A  notable  feature  in  the  physiography  of  Liberia  is 
the  great  number  of  sluggish  lagoons  or  wide  rivers, 
shallow,  running  parallel  to  the  coast  behind  long 
and  narrow  peninsulas  or  spits  of  sand;  there  are 
so  many  of  these  that  they  practically  form  a  con- 
tinuous line  of  lagoons  lying  behind  the  sandy  beach. 
These  lagoons  open  onto  the  sea  at  the  mouths  of  the 
more  important  rivers;  smaller  rivers  in  considerable 
numbers  enter  them  so  that  in  reality  almost  every 
river-mouth  in  Liberia  may  be  considered  not  the 
point  of  entrance  of  a  single  river,  but  of  a  cluster  of 
rivers  which  have  opened  into  a  common  reservoir 
and  made  an  outlet  through  one  channel.  As  good 
examples  of  these  curious  lagoons,  we  may  mention 
from  west  to  east  the  Sugari  River,  Fisherman 's  Lake, 
Stockton  Creek,  Mesurado  Lagoon,  Junk  River,  etc., 
etc. 

Inasmuch  as  the  rivers  are  the  best  known  features 
of  Liberian  geography,  and  as  they  determine  all  its 
other  details,  we  shall  present  here  a  complete  list  of 
them,  in  their  order  from  west  to  east,  together  with  a 
few  observations  concerning  the  more  important. 

Mano — Mannah ;  Bewa,  in  its  upper  course ;  the  west- 
ern boundary  of  the  country ;  flows  through  a  dense 
forest ;  no  town  at  its  mouth ;  not  navigable  to  any 
distance ;  Gene,  a  trading  village,  twenty  miles  up ; 
Liberian  settlements  a  few  miles  east  of  the  mouth. 

Shuguri,  (Sugary),  Sugari,  only  a  few  miles  in 
length;  extends  toward  the  southeast,  parallel  to 
the  coast. 

Behind  the  peninsula  upon  which  Cape  Mount  stands 
is  a  lagoon  called  Fisherman's  Lake,  which  parallels 
the  coast  for  a  distance  of  ten  miles;  this  shallow, 
brackish,  lagoon  is  about  six  miles  wide  at  its  widest 
part,  and  is  nowhere  more  than  twelve  or  thirteen 


6  LIBERIA. 

feet  in  depth;  it  is  so  related  to  the  Marphy  and 
Sugari  Rivers  that  it  is  said  of  them,  ' '  These  rivers 
with  Fisherman's  Lake  have  a  common  outlet, 
across  which  the  surf  breaks  heavily ' ' ;  where  these 
three  water  bodies  enter  the  sea  by  a  narrow  mouth 
there  is  but  three  feet  depth  of  water. 

Half  Cape  Mount  River,  Little  Cape  Mount  River, 
Lofa  (in  its  upper  part).  Of  considerable  length; 
in  the  dry  season  a  bank  of  sand  closes  its  mouth; 
the  village  of  Half  Cape  Mount  is  here. 

Po,  Poba.  Small  stream  eight  miles  from  last;  here 
are  the  Vai  village  of  Digby  and  the  Liberian  settle- 
ment of  Royesville. 

St.  Paul's,  De;  Diani,  further  up.  This  great  river, 
the  second  of  Liberia,  rises  on  the  Mandingo  Pla- 
teau, about  8°  55'  north  latitude ;  it  is  perhaps  280 
miles  long;  it  receives  several  important  tributa- 
ries. There  is  a  bar  at  its  mouth,  and  it  is  not 
directly  entered  from  the  sea ;  it  is  navigable,  after 
once  being  entered  through  Stockton  Creek,  to 
White  Plains,  about  twenty  miles  from  its  mouth. 

Mesurado  River  (Mesurado  Lagoon)  enters  the  sea 
at  Monrovia  and  lies  behind  the  high  ridge  on 
which  that  town  is  built.  Through  the  same  mouth 
with  it  Stockton  Creek  enters  the  sea,  and  through 
Stockton  Creek,  which  runs  across  to  the  St.  Paul's, 
the  latter  is  accessible  for  boats  from  Monrovia  and 
the  sea,  although  at  low  water  there  is  but  two  feet 
of  depth.  At  White  Plains  the  St.  Paul's  River 
is  broken  by  rapids  which  occur  at  intervals  for  a 
distance  of  about  seventy  miles.  Above  these 
rapids  it  is  probably  possible  to  ascend  the  St. 
Paul's  and  its  tributary  Tuma,  Toma,  might  be 
navigable  for  a  combined  distance  of  about  150 
miles.  There  are  many  Liberian  settlements  on  the 
lower  St.  Paul's  River,  and  it  is  said  that  "quite 
half  the  Americo-Liberian  population  is  settled  in 
a  region  between  Careysburg  and  the  coast." 

Junk  River  parallels  the  coast  and  nearly  reaches 
Mesurado  Lagoon;  a  long,  winding  tidal  creek;  at 


DESCRIPTION.  7 

its  mouth  three  streams  really  enter  the  sea  together 
— the  Junk,  Dukwia,  and  Farmington,  On  account 
of  the  near  approach  of  this  river  to  the  Mesurado 
Lagoon,  Monrovia  is  almost  on  an  island  thirty- 
miles  long  and  three  miles  wide,  surrounded  by 
the  Mesurado,  Junk,  and  the  sea. 

Dukwia.  Very  winding;  navigable  for  thirty  miles; 
source  unknown;  at  its  mouth  is  the  settlement  of 
Marshall;  one  of  the  worst  bars  of  the  coast  is 
here. 

Little  Bassa,  Farmington.  As  already  stated,  enters 
the  sea  together  with  the  Junk  and  the  Dukwia. 

Mechlin,  Mecklin.    A  small  stream. 

St.  John's,  Hartford. 

Benson,  Bisso  (Bissaw).  The  Mecklin,  St.  John's, 
and  Benson  enter  the  sea  by  a  common  mouth.  At 
or  near  this  mouth  are  Edina,  Upper  Buchanan, 
Lower  Buchanan — the  latter  at  a  fair  harbor, 
though  with  a  bad  bar. 

Little  Kulloh,  Kurrah.  Small,  but  accessible  to 
boats. 

Tembo. 

Fen. 

Mannah. 

Cestos,  Cess.  A  considerable  river,  rising  probably  in 
the  Satro  Mountains,  close  to  the  basin  of  the 
Cavalla;  very  bad  bar — rocks  in  the  middle  and 
only  three  feet  of  water. 

Pua. 

Pobama. 

New, 

Bruni. 

Sanguin.  Of  some  size ;  rises  in  the  Nidi  Mountains ; 
entrance  beset  with  rocks;  though  the  bar  here  is 
bad,  there  is  a  depth  of  nine  or  ten  feet  of  water, 
and  a  promising  port  might  be  developed. 

Baffni. 

Tubo,  Tuba. 

Sinu,  Sinoe,  San  Vincento,  Rio  Dulce.  Savage  rocks, 
bad  bar ;  Greenville  is  located  at  the  mouth ;  canoes 


«  LIBERIA. 

can  ascend  for  about  15  miles ;  rises  in  the  Niete  or 
Nidi  Mountains,  close  to  the  Cavalla  watershed. 
There  are  three  channels  by  which  boats  may  enter 
this  river.  Here  again  we  have  long  narrow 
lagoons  paralleling  the  coast  and  with  a  mere  strip 
of  land  between  them  and  the  sea.  Going  from  the 
west  toward  the  east  we  find  the  Blubara  Creek  and 
the  Sinoe  entering  with  them.  The  Blubara  Creek 
is  supplied  by  two  streams,  the 

Bluba  and  the 

Plassa. 

Uro. 

Dru.    A  stream  of  some  magnitude. 

Esereus,  Baddhu,  Dewa,  Eseravos.  It  rises  in  or 
near  the  Niete  Mountains,  not  far  from  the  sources 
of  the  Sinoe  and  Grand  Sesters. 

Ferruma,  near  Sasstown. 

Grand  Sesters.  Empties  into  a  lagoon  nearly  three 
miles  in  length. 

Garraway,  Garawe,  Try.  Accessible  at  all  times  to 
canoes  and  boats.  Within  the  next  eight  miles 
there  are  three  small  streams, 

Gida. 

Dia — ^with  a  rock  reef  stretching  out  from  it. 

Mano. 

Hoffman.  Another  lagoon-river,  which  forms  Cape 
Palmas  harbor;  it  is  one  hundred  yards  wide  at 
its  entrance  to  the  sea.  The  town  of  Harper  is 
situated  upon  it. 

Cavalla;  Yubu  (in  its  upper  part);  also  Diugu  or 
Duyu.  The  largest  river  of  the  country ;  forms  the 
boundary  with  French  possessions;  very  bad  bar; 
goods  going  up  the  river  are  landed  at  Harper  and 
sent  across  the  lagoon  which  parallels  the  Atlantic 
for  nine  miles  and  is  separated  from  it  only  by  a 
narrow  strip  of  land;  navigable  for  small  steam 
vessels  for  about  fifty  miles;  boats  of  considerable 
size  ascend  to  a  distance  of  eighty  miles;  it  rises 
in  the  Nimba  Mountains  at  about  8°  north  latitude ; 
it  receives  a  number  of  important  tributaries. 


DESCRIPTION.  9 

There  are  no  true  lakes  in  Liberia,  althougli  the 
name  "lake"  is  rather  frequently  applied  to  the 
brackish  lagoons  so  often  referred  to.  Thus  we  hear 
of  Fisherman's  Lake,  Sheppard  Lake,  etc. 

6.  We  have  already  mentioned  that  there  are  no 
natural  harbors  of  any  value  in  Liberia ;  boats  anchor 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  beach,  and  all  load- 
ing and  landing  is  done  by  means  of  small  boats  or 
canoes ;  at  all  points  there  is  a  dangerous  bar,  and  it  is 
a  common  thing  for  boats  to  be  capsized  in  crossing  it. 

There  are  almost  no  islands  of  any  consequence  off 
the  coast.  There  are  indeed  many  masses  of  land 
included  in  the  networks  of  river-mouths  and  lagoons, 
but  they  are  not  usually  thought  of  as  being  islands. 
There  are  also  many  rocky  islets  and  reefs  along  the 
coast,  particularly  from  the  mouth  of  the  River 
Cestos  eastward.  Such,  however,  are  mere  masses 
of  bare  and  jagged  rocks.  Of  actual  islands  to  which 
names  have  been  given,  four  are  best  known,  two  of 
which  are  in  Montserrado  County  and  two  in  Mary- 
land County.  Bushrod  Island,  named  from  Bushrod 
Washington,  the  first  president  of  the  American 
Colonization  Society,  is  a  large,  cultivable  island  near 
Monrovia,  surrounded  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  the  St. 
Paul's  River,  and  Stockton  Creek.  A  very  small 
island  in  the  Mesurado,  known  as  Providence  or  Per- 
severance Island,  is  interesting  as  having  been  at  one 
time  the  only  land  occupied  by  the  colonists.  Garawe 
Island,  also  called  Old  Garawe,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Garawe  River,  is  about  three  miles  long.  Russwurm, 
or  Dead  Island,  lies  in  the  Atlantic,  opposite  Cape 
Palmas,  with  about  two  hundred  feet  of  water  be- 
tween it  and  the  mainland ;  it  measures  about  700  by 
120  yards ;  the  name  Dead  Island  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  aborigines  buried  their  dead  here. 

7.  The  climate  of  Liberia  is  very  imperfectly 
known.  Our  most  recent  data  are  derived  from  Sir 
Harry  Johnston,  the  best  informant  on  all  scientific 
matters.  He  states  that  there  is  probably  a  marked 
difference  between  the  climate  of  the  forest  region 


10  LIBERIA, 

and  that  of  the  Mandingo  Plateau.  In  the  forest 
region  the  dry  season  is  short ;  it  is  the  hottest  period 
of  the  year  and  includes  the  months  of  December, 
January,  and  February;  February  is  the  hottest  and 
dryest  month  of  the  year  and  the  temperature  ranges 
from  55°  at  night  to  100°  in  the  shade  at  midday. 
During  the  wet  season  the  daily  range  is  almost  noth- 
ing; the  constant  temperature  stands  at  about  75°. 
The  coolest  month  of  the  year  is  August  with  a  day 
temperature  of  69°  and  a  night  temperature  of  65°, 
Upon  the  Mandingo  Plateau  the  annual  rainfall  is 
believed  to  be  not  more  than  from  60  to  70  inches ;  the 
dry  season  extends  from  November  to  May;  during 
that  time  the  vegetation  is  parched;  the  nights  are 
cool,  becoming  cold  with  an  altitude  of  3000  feet ;  the 
hottest  time  of  the  year  is  at  the  beginning  and  end 
of  the  rainy  season  when  the  thermometer  may  mark 
more  than  100°  at  midday. 

8.  On  the  whole,  we  still  have  nothing  better  in 
regard  to  the  climate  than  the  description  given  by 
Dr.  Lugenbeel  in  1850.  He  traces  the  characteristics 
of  the  weather  through  the  year  month  by  month. 
He  says: 

^^  January  is  usually  the  dryest,  and  one  of  the 
warmest  months  in  the  year.  Sometimes,  during  this 
month,  no  rain  at  all  falls;  but  generally  there  are 
occasional  slight  showers,  particularly  at  night.  Were 
it  not  for  the  sea-breeze,  which  prevails  with  almost 
uninterrupted  regularity,  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  day,  on  almost  every  day  throughout  the  year,  the 
weather  would  be  exceedingly  oppressive,  during  the 
first  three  or  four  months  of  the  year.  As  it  is,  the 
oppressiveness  of  the  rays  of  the  tropical  sun,  is 
greatly  mitigated  by  the  cooling  breezes  from  the 
ocean ;  which  usually  blow  from  about  10  o'clock  A.  M. 
to  about  10  o'clock  P.  M.,  the  land-breezes  occupying 
the  remainder  of  the  night  and  morning;  except  for 
an  hour  or  two  about  the  middle  of  the  night,  and 
about  an  hour  in  the  forenoon.  During  these  inter- 
vals, the  atmosphere  is  sometimes  very  oppressive. 


DESCRIPTION.  11 

The  regularity  of  the  sea-breeze,  especially  during  the 
month  of  January,  is  sometimes  interrupted  by  the 
longer  continuance  of  the  land-breeze,  which  occa- 
sionally does  not  cease  blowing  until  2  or  3  o'clock 
P.  M.  This  is  what  is  called  the  harmattan  wind; 
about  which  a  great  deal  has  been  written ;  but  which 
does  not  generally  fully  accord  with  the  forced  de- 
scriptions of  hasty  observers  or  copyists. 

The  principal  peculiarity  of  the  harmattan  wind 
consists  in  its  drying  properties,  and  its  very  sensible 
coolness,  especially  early  in  the  morning.  It  seldom, 
perhaps  never,  continues  during  the  whole  day;  and 
usually  not  much  longer  than  the  ordinary  land- 
breeze,  at  other  times  in  the  year.  When  this  wind 
blows  pretty  strongly,  the  leaves  and  covers  of  books 
sometimes  curl,  as  if  they  had  been  placed  near  a 
fire;  the  seams  of  furniture,  and  of  wooden  vessels 
sometimes  open  considerably,  and  the  skin  of  persons 
sometimes  feels  peculiarly  dry  and  unpleasant,  in 
consequence  of  the  rapid  evaporation  of  both  the 
sensible  and  the  insensible  perspiration.  But  these 
effects  are  usually  by  no  means  so  great  as  they  have 
been  represented  to  be.  What  is  generally  called  the 
harmattan  season  usually  commences  about  the  mid- 
dle of  December,  and  continues  until  the  latter  part 
of  February.  During  this  time,  especially  during 
the  month  of  January,  the  atmosphere  has  a  smoky 
appearance,  similar  to  what  is  termed  Indian  sum- 
mer in  the  United  States,  but  generally  more  hazy. 

The  average  height  of  the  mercury  in  the  ther- 
mometer, during  the  month  of  January,  is  about 
85°,  it  seldom  varies  more  than  10°,  during  the  24 
hours  of  the  day;  and  usually  it  does  not  vary  more 
than  4°  between  the  hours  of  10  A.  M.  and  10  P.  M. 
During  this  month,  however,  I  have  seen  the  mercury 
stand  at  the  lowest  mark,  at  which  I  ever  observed 
it,  in  Liberia,  that  is,  at  68°.  This  was  early  in  the 
morning  during  the  prevalence  of  a  very  strong  land- 
breeze.  During  this  month  I  have  also  seen  the  mer- 
cury stand  at  the  highest    mark,    at    which  I  ever 


12  LIBERIA. 

observed  it — that  is,  at  90°.  The  air  is  sometimes 
uncomfortably  cool,  before  8  o  'clock  A.  M.,  during 
this  month. 

During  the  month  of  Fehruary  the  weather  is  gen- 
erally similar  to  that  of  January.  There  are,  how- 
ever, usually  more  frequent  showers  of  rain;  and 
sometimes,  towards  the  close  of  this  month,  slight 
tornadoes  are  experienced.  The  harmattan  haze  gen- 
erally disappears  about  the  last  of  this  month;  and 
the  atmosphere  becomes  clear.  The  range  of  the 
thermometer  is  about  the  same  as  in  January. 

March  is  perhaps  the  most  trying  month  in  the 
year  to  the  constitutions  of  new-comers.  The  atmos- 
phere is  usually  very  oppressive  during  this  month^ — 
the  sun  being  nearly  vertical.  The  occasional  showers 
of  rain,  and  the  slight  tornadoes,  which  occur  in  this 
month,  do  not  usually  mitigate  the  oppressiveness  of 
the  atmosphere,  as  might  be  supposed.  The  variation 
in  the  state  of  the  atmosphere,  as  indicated  by  the 
thermometer,  seldom  exceeds  6°  during  the  whole  of 
this  month.  The  average  height  of  the  mercury  is 
about  85°. 

April  is  signifieantly  called  the  'tornado  month,' 
the  most  numerous  and  most  violent  tornadoes  usually 
occurring  during  this  month.  The  ordinary  state  of 
the  weather,  in  reference  to  the  degree  of  heat,  and 
its  influence  on  the  system,  is  not  very  different  from 
that  of  the  three  preceding  months.  The  showers  of 
rain  are  usually  more  frequent,  however;  and  the 
visitations  of  those  peculiar  gusts,  called  tornadoes, 
are  much  more  common  in  April,  than  in  any  other 
month.  These  are  sudden,  and  sometimes  violent 
gusts,  which  occur  much  more  frequently  at  night, 
than  during  the  day.  Although  they  usually  approach 
suddenly  and  rapidly,  yet  certain  premonitory  evi- 
dences of  their  approach  are  almost  always  presented, 
which  are  generally  easily  recognized  by  persons  who 
have  frequently  observed  them.  They  generally  com- 
mence from  northeast,  or  east-northeast,  and  rapidly 


DESCRIPTION.  13 

shift  around  to  nearly  southeast;  by  which  time  the 
storm  is  at  its  height. 

At  the  commencement  of  a  tornado,  dark  clouds 
appear  above  the  eastern  horizon,  which  rapidly 
ascend,  until  a  dense  looking  mass  spreads  over  the 
whole  hemisphere.  As  the  heavy  mass  of  clouds 
ascends  and  spreads,  the  roaring  sound  of  the 
wind  becomes  stronger  and  louder,  until  suddenly  it 
bursts  forth  in  its  fury ;  sometimes  seeming  as  if  it 
would  sweep  away  every  opposing  object.  Very 
seldom,  however,  is  any  material  injury  sustained 
from  these  violent  gusts.  The  scene  is  sometimes 
awfully  grand,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  during 
the  formation  and  continuance  of  a  heavy  tornado. 
Sometimes  the  whole  hemisphere  presents  a  scene  of 
the  deepest  gloom;  the  darkness  of  which  is  momen- 
tarily illuminated  by  vivid  flashes  of  lightning,  in 
rapid  succession ;  and  sometimes  tremendous  peals  of 
thunder  burst  upon  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  scene. 
The  rain  seldom  falls,  until  the  violence  of  the  gust 
begins  to  subside ;  when  a  torrent  of  rain  usually  pours 
down  for  a  short  time,  seldom  more  than  half  an 
hour ;  after  which,  the  wind  shifts  around  towards 
the  west;  and  generally,  in  about  an  hour  from  the 
commencement  of  the  tornado,  the  sky  becomes  serene, 
and  sometimes  almost  cloudless. 

The  weather  during  the  month  of  May  is  usually 
more  pleasant,  than  during  the  two  preceding  months. 
The  atmosphere  is  generally  not  quite  so  warm  and 
oppressive.  Sometimes  copious  and  protracted  show- 
ers of  rain  fall,  during  the  latter  half  of  this  month ; 
so  that  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season  usually 
occurs  in  this  month.  Tornadoes  also  occasionally 
appear,  during  the  month  of  May.  The  average 
height  of  the  mercury  in  the  thermometer  is  usually 
two  or  three  degrees  less,  than  during  the  four  pre- 
ceding months. 

June  is  perhaps  the  most  rainy  month  in  the  year. 
More  or  less  rain  usually  falls  nearly  every  day  or 
night  in  this  month.     Although  there  are  sometimes 


14  LIBERIA. 

clear  and  pleasant  days  in  June ;  yet,  there  are  seldom 
twenty-four  successive  hours  of  entire  freedom  from 
rain.  The  sun  is,  however,  seldom  entirely  obscured 
for  a  week  at  a  time;  and  he  frequently  shines  out 
brightly  and  pleasantly,  in  the  interstices  between  the 
floating  clouds,  several  times  during  the  day;  occa- 
sionally for  several  hours  at  a  time.  During  this 
month,  as  during  all  the  other  rainy  months,  more 
rain  always  falls  at  night  than  in  the  day  time; 
and,  indeed,  there  are  very  few  days  in  the  year, 
in  which  the  use  of  an  umbrella  may  not  be  dispensed 
with  some  time  during  the  ordinary  business  hours. 
In  the  month  of  June,  the  atmosphere  is  always  con- 
siderably cooler  than  during  the  preceding  month; 
and  I  have  generally  found  it  necessary  to  wear 
woolen  outer  as  well  as  under  garments ;  and  to  sleep 
beneath  thick  covering  at  night,  in  order  to  be  com- 
fortably warm.  The  sensible  perspiration  is  always 
much  less,  during  the  month,  and  the  five  succeeding 
months,  than  during  the  other  six  months  in  the  year. 
The  mercury  in  the  thermometer  seldom  rises  above 
80°  in  this  month,  the  average  height  being  about 
75°. 

During  the  months  of  July  and  August,  a  great 
deal  of  rain  also  generally  falls;  but  perhaps  less  in 
both  these  months  than  in  the  preceding  month. 
There  is  always  a  short  season  of  comparatively  dry, 
and  very  pleasant  weather,  in  one  or  both  of  these 
months.  This  season  usually  continues  from  three 
to  five  weeks ;  and  generally  commences  about  the  20th 
or  25th  of  July,  Sometimes,  for  several  successive 
days,  the  sun  shines  brilliantly  and  pleasantly  all 
day ;  and  no  rain  falls  at  night.  The  air,  however,  is 
always  refreshingly  cool  and  agreeable.  This  is  per- 
haps the  most  pleasant  time  in  the  year.  This  is  what 
is  commonly  called  'the  middle  dries.'  It  seems  as  if 
Providence  has  specially  ordered  this  temporary  ces- 
sation of  the  rains,  for  the  purpose  of  permitting  the 
ripening  and  gathering  of  the  crops  of  rice,  which  are 
generally  harvested  in  August. 


DESCRIPTION.  15 

September  and  October  are  also  generally  very 
rainy  months;  especially  the  former.  Sometimes 
more  rain  falls  in  September,  than  in  any  other  month 
in  the  year.  Towards  the  close  of  October,  rains 
begins  to  be  less  copious;  and  sometimes  slight 
tornadoes  appear,  indicative  of  the  cessation  of  the 
rainy  season.  The  sea-breezes  are  usually  very  strong, 
during  these  two  months;  and  the  atmosphere  is 
generally  uniformly  cool,  and  invigorating  to  the 
physical  system. 

During  the  month  of  November  the  weather  is  gen- 
erally very  pleasant,  the  temperature  of  the  atmos- 
phere being  agreeable  to  the  feelings — not  so  cool  as 
during  the  five  preceding  months,  and  not  so  warm 
as  during  the  five  succeeding  months,  the  average 
height  of  the  mercury  in  the  thermometer  being 
about  82°.  Frequent  showers  of  rain  usually  fall 
during  this  month,  both  in  the  day  and  at  night ;  but 
generally  they  are  of  short  duration.  Slight  torna- 
does also  generally  appear  in  this  month.  The  sun 
may  usually  be  seen  during  a  part  of  every  day  in  the 
month ;  and  frequently  he  is  not  obscured  by  clouds, 
during  the  whole  of  the  time  in  which  he  is  above  the 
horizon.  The  middle  of  this  month  may  be  regarded 
as  the  beginning  of  the  dry  season. 

December  is  also  generally  a  very  pleasant  month. 
Occasional  slight  showers  of  rain  fall  during  this 
month,  sometimes  several  sprinklings  in  one  day,  but 
seldom  for  more  than  a  few  minutes  at  a  time.  The 
mornings  in  this  month  are  peculiarly  delightful. 
The  sun  usually  rises  with  brilliancy  and  beauty ;  and 
the  hills  and  groves,  teeming  with  the  verdure  of 
perpetual  spring,  are  enriched  by  the  mingled  melody 
of  a  thousand  cheerful  songsters.  Nothing  that  I  have 
ever  witnessed  in  the  United  States  exceeds  the  love- 
liness of  a  December  morning  in  Liberia." 

9.  Closely  related  to  climate  is  health.  Here  again 
we  have  no  better  information  than  that  supplied  us 
by  Dr.  Lugenbeel.  He  asserts  that  "the  rainy  sea- 
son is  decidedly  more  conducive  to  health  than  the 


16  LIBERIA. 

dry  season  in  both  new-comers  and  old  settlers.  The 
oppressiveness  of  the  atmosphere  and  the  enervating 
effects  of  the  weather,  during  the  dry  season,  tend  to 
debilitate  the  physical  system,  and  thereby  to  render 
it  more  susceptible  of  being  affected.  Persons  who 
arrive  in  Liberia  during  this  season  are  more  liable 
to  attacks  of  fever  than  those  who  arrive  during  the 
rainy  season."  Monrovia  is  usually  ranked  with 
Freetown  as  being  unusually  unhealthy;  conditions 
have,  however,  considerably  improved  and  are  by  no 
means  so  bad  as  in  the  early  days.  All  new-comers, 
white  and  black  alike,  must  undergo  the  acclimating 
fever,  but  on  the  whole,  blacks  seem  to  suffer  least. 
Remittent  and  intermittent  fevers,  diarrhoea  and  dys- 
entery are  among  the  more  common  and  serious 
diseases.  Rheumatism  occurs,  though  it  is  rarely  vio- 
lent either  in  a  chronic  or  acute  form ;  dropsical  affec- 
tions are  rather  common,  often  due  to  debility  after 
fever;  enlargement  of  the  liver  and  spleen  are  com- 
mon, the  latter  being  most  frequent  in  whites  and 
mulattoes,  and  usually  following  upon  fevers;  the 
most  common  eruptive  diseases  are  measles  and  ery- 
sipelas— both  mild;  varioloid,  though  common,  is 
rarely  fatal ;  flatulent  colics  are  common ;  slight 
scratches  and  abrasions  give  rise  readily  to  ulcers, 
more  common  in  whites  and  mulattoes  than  in  blacks. 
Leprosy  is  occasional  among  natives.  Curious  local 
diseases  are  craw  craw  and  yaws,  both  endemic  cuta- 
neous troubles.  The  famous  sleeping  sickness,  the 
scourge  of  Africa,  is  more  frequent  among  natives 
than  among  the  Americo-Liberians,  but  it  has  long 
been  known  in  that  region.  The  list  sounds  like  a 
long  and  dreadful  one,  but  is,  after  all,  far  from  ap- 
palling. Dr.  Lugenbeel  says :  ' '  Some  other  diseases, 
which  are  common  to  most  countries,  may  be  occa- 
sionally observed  in  Liberia;  but  the  variety  is  much 
less  than  in  the  United  States;  and  except  in  some 
old  chronic  affections,  in  broken  down  constitutions, 
convalescence  is  generally  much  more  rapid;  in  con- 
sequence of  the  less  violence  of  the  attack.     Among 


DESCRIPTION.  17 

the  many  attacks  of  fever,  which  I  experienced,  I 
never  was  obliged  to  remain  in  my  room  more  than 
a  week,  at  any  one  time;  and  I  very  seldom  was  con- 
fined to  my  bed  longer  than  twenty-four  hours.  The 
danger  in  new-comers  generally  consists  more  in  the 
frequency  than  in  the  violence  of  the  attacks  of  sick- 
ness. And  the  majority  of  colored  immigrants,  who 
have  sufficient  prudence  to  use  such  means  for  the 
preservation  of  good  health  in  Liberia  as  enlightened 
judgment  would  dictate,  usually  enjoy  as  good  health, 
after  the  first  year  of  their  residence,  as  they  for- 
merly enjoyed  in  the  United  States.  In  some  cases, 
indeed,  the  state  of  the  health  of  the  immigrant  is 
decidedly  improved  by  the  change  of  residence  from 
America  to  Africa."  In  another  place,  he  says:  "In 
some  cases,  persons  who  might  have  enjoyed  tolerable 
health  in  the  United  States,  die  very  soon  after  their 
arrival  in  Liberia,  in  consequence  of  the  physical  sys- 
tem not  being  sufficiently  vigorous  to  undergo  the 
necessary  change,  in  order  to  become  adapted  to 
the  climate.  Hence  the  impropriety  of  persons  emi- 
grating to  Liberia  whose  constitutions  have  become 
much  impaired  by  previous  diseases,  by  intemper- 
ance, or  otherwise.  And  hence  the  necessity  of  mis- 
sionary societies  being  careful  to  guard  the  physical 
as  well  as  the  moral  qualifications  of  persons  who 
offer  themselves  as  missionaries  to  Africa." 

10.  So  far  as  concerns  the  flora  of  the  country, 
four  different  types  present  themselves.  The  beach, 
the  river-swamp,  the  forest,  the  grass-lands  present 
their  characteristic  forms  of  plant-life.  Five-sixths 
of  the  Republic  are  covered  with  the  densest  tropical 
forest;  an  enormous  variety  of  gigantic  trees  grow 
closely  crowded  together  and  are  bound  by  a  tangle 
of  vines  and  creeping  plants  into  an  almost  impene- 
trable mass.  Nowhere  perhaps  in  the  world  is  there 
a  more  typical  tropical  forest.  The  lower  reaches  of 
the  rivers  are  bordered  by  a  thicket  of  mangroves 
and  pandanus,  the  former  by  its  curious  mode  of 
growth — throwing  downward  from  its  branches 
almost  vertical  aerial  roots  which  reach  the  water  and 


18  LIBERIA. 

strike  down  into  the  soft,  oozy  mud  of  the  river- 
bottom — stretching  far  out  from  the  banks  them- 
selves over  the  stream.  Among  the  notable  trees  of 
Liberia  are  mahogany,  ebonj^,  and  other  valuable 
timber  trees ;  camwood  is  abundant,  and  was  formerly 
an  object  of  important  export  for  dyeing  purposes; 
cotfee  grows  wild  and  is  of  fine  quality;  there  are 
various  gum-producing  trees,  among  them  that  which 
yields  the  gum  arable ;  the  kola  nut  is  common  and 
has  long  been  exported  from  the  Grain  Coast;  there 
are  various  rubber-producing  plants — the  funtumia 
and  landalphia,  the  two  most  prized  rubber-plants  of 
Africa,  occur  abundantly — the  former  being  a  tree, 
the  latter  a  vine;  palms  of  many  species  occur; 
among  them  are  the  borassus  or  fan-palm,  the  calamus 
or  climbing  palm,  the  oil  palm,  a  raphia,  commonly 
known  as  the  bamboo  palm,  which  yields  palm  wine 
and  the  precious  piassava  fibre;  notable  is  the  great 
cotton-tree,  which  is  considered  sacred  by  the  natives, 
no  doubt  on  account  of  its  strange  appearance,  due 
to  enormous,  thin,  buttressing  roots.  There  are 
flowers  everywhere ;  water-lilies  are  common  in  the 
swamps,  and  lovely  epiphytic  orchids  bloom  upon 
the  forest  trees. 

11.  The  fauna  is  especially  interesting  because 
it  presents  an  ancient  facies,  more  like  that  of  a  by- 
gone age  than  of  the  present.  In  fact  Sir  Harry 
Johnston  refers  to  it  as  being  of  the  Mioceme  type. 
There  are  at  least  a  dozen  species  of  apes  and  mon- 
keys, among  which  the  most  interesting  is  the 
chimpanzee;  there  are  many  species  of  bats  of  all 
sizes,  some  being  insectivorous  and  others  eating 
fruits ;  there  are  a  variety  of  wild  cats,  including  the 
leopard,  and  the  natives  make  a  specialty  of  killing 
them  for  their  spotted  skins;  two  species  of  mon- 
goose are  found  ;  the  red  river  hog  is  abundant ;  four 
species  of  manis.  with  curious  overlapping  scales,  able 
to  roll  themselves  up  into  a  ball  something  like  an 
armadillo,  are  among  the  curious  forms;  the  most 
interesting  animal  in  the  fauna  perhaps  is  the  water 
chevrotain,  a  creature  of  no  great  size,  but  which 


DESCRIPTION.  19 

presents  a  curious  intermediate  or  connecting  form 
between  the  pig  and  camel  on  the  one  side  and  the 
deer,  giraffe,  and  antelope  on  the  other;  true  ante- 
lopes are  numerous  in  many  species,  some  of  which 
are  dainty  little  creatures;  the  buffalo,  perhaps  the 
most  dangerous  animal  of  Africa,  occurs ;  elephants 
are  still  found,  and  ever  since  the  traders  first  visited 
the  Grain  Coast,  ivory  has  been  to  some  degree  ex- 
ported; the  most  famous  of  Liberian  animals,  how- 
ever, is  the  pygmy  hippopotamus,  just  like  the  larger 
species,  but  weighing  perhaps  only  four  hundred 
pounds  when  fully  grown. 

12.  Bird-life,  too,  is  abundant.  There  are  natu- 
rally great  numbers  of  water  birds,  both  swimmers 
and  waders — such  as  egrets  and  other  herons,  ibis, 
and  the  strange  finfoot ;  hornbills  are  common  ;  eagles 
and  vultures  occur;  one  of  the  commonest  and  most 
striking  of  the  birds  is  the  black  and  w^hite  crow; 
brilliant  of  plumage  is  the  plantain-eater,  but  the 
parrots  of  the  country  are  dull  and  inconspicuous. 
Of  reptiles  there  are  plenty.  The  python  is  the  largest 
snake,  and  grows  to  a  length  of  thirty  feet ;  there  are 
many  species  of  serpents,  including  ten  which  are 
poisonous;  lizards  are  common,  among  them  the 
chameleon  with  its  varying  color  and  its  strange,  inde- 
pendently movable  eyes;  crocodiles  are  common  in 
all  the  rivers.  There  are  fish  in  plenty,  but  the  most 
curious  certainly  is  the  little  bommi  fish  which  comes 
out  of  the  water,  jumps  about  upon  the  bank,  and 
even  crawls  among  the  branches  and  bushes  near  the 
water;  in  appearance  and  movement  it  is  so  like  a 
frog  that  one  at  first  does  not  realize  that  it  is  in 
reality  a  fish. 

13.  While  beasts,  birds,  and  reptiles  are  varied 
and  numerous,  it  is  surprising  how  inconspicuous 
they  are.  In  fact,  unless  one  is  really  hunting  for 
these  creatures,  he  may  rarely  see  them.  One  might 
spend  months  in  Liberia  and  upon  returnincr  home 
declare  that  forest  and  stream  w-ere  almost  without 
inhabitants.  There  are,  however,  forms  of  life  which 
are  very  much  in  evidence.    Insects  and  other  inver- 


20  LIBERIA, 

tebrate  forms  abound;  no  one  can  overlook  them. 
The  termites  or  white  ants  are  everywhere.  Some- 
times they  build  their  enormous  hillocks  of  clay  out 
in  the  open  country;  these  are  great  constructions 
which  rise  to  a  height  of  six,  eight,  or  ten  feet  and 
which,  within,  present  a  complicated  system  of  pas- 
sages and  tunnels;  in  the  heart  of  this  great  nest  the 
queen  lives  immured  in  a  clay  cell.  Another  species 
of  the  white  ant  enters  houses  and  works  destruc- 
tion; books,  papers,  wood,  all  may  be  destroyed.  This 
sort  dislikes  exposure  to  the  sunlight  and  constructs 
tunnels  to  protect  themselves  from  it.  Of  true  ants 
there  are  many  species,  among  which  of  course  the 
driver  is  the  most  famous;  it  travels  in  droves  of 
millions,  running  in  a  continuous  black  line  perhaps 
an  inch  in  breadth  and  many  rods  in  length ;  they  are 
scavengers  and  clear  everything  within  their  path; 
their  bite  is  painful,  and  one  must  look  out  for  their 
moving  column  when  he  is  upon  the  trail ;  they  swarm 
upon  and  kill  small  animals  which  they  encounter  and 
clean  their  skeletons  before  they  leave;  when  they 
enter  houses  people  are  wise  to  vacate  and  leave  them 
to  clean  out  the  place.  The  famous  jigger  is  a  recent 
importation  into  Liberia,  as  into  Africa  generally ;  it 
burrows  into  human  feet,  causing  an  intolerable  itch- 
ing ;  ensconced,  it  develops  a  sack  of  eggs,  round  and 
of  considerable  size ;  unless  this  is  removed,  the  eggs 
hatch  and  the  young  burrow  out  into  the  sole  of 
the  foot ;  when  itching  is  felt,  search  should  be  made 
for  its  cause  and  the  insect,  sack  and  all,  carefully 
removed  with  a  needle ;  serious  injury  to  the  feet  may 
result  if  jiggers  are  neglected.  When  one  walks  over 
the  trail  during  rainy  weather,  he  sees  great  quanti- 
ties of  earth-worms  of  enormous  size,  even  two  feet 
six  inches  or  three  feet  in  length.  Scorpions  end  cen- 
tipedes are  not  uncommon.  We  have  not  even 
suggested  the  wide  range  and  diversity  of  insect-life, 
but  have  simply  mentioned  samples  of  the  more 
conspicuous. 

14.     The  human  population  of  Liberia  consists  of 
the  Americo-Liberians,  who  live  in  a  number  of  small 


DESCRIPTION.  21 

settlements  along  the  coast  and  upon  some  of  the 
more  important  rivers,  and  the  aborigines.  The  truly 
native  population  consists  of  many  different  tribes, 
each  with  its  own  language,  territory,  government, 
and  life.  These  tribes  linguistically  form  three  or 
four  groups.  Delafosse,  our  best  authority  in  regard 
to  Liberian  populations,  recognizes  four  such  groups ; 
Sir  Harry  Johnston  recognizes  three.  The  four  divi- 
sions of  Delafosse  are  Kru,  Mandingo,  Gola,  Gbele — ■ 
Sir  Harry  Johnston's  are  Kru,  Mandingo,  and 
Kpwesi.  We  have  already  suggested  that  the  tribes 
are  many  and  diverse;  within  his  Kru  group  Dela- 
fosse names  eighteen  tribes.  The  black  populations 
of  Africa  are  usually  divided  into  three  great  divi- 
sions— true  Negroes,  Bantu,  Negrillos  (Pygmies  and 
Bushmen).  The  Liberian  tribes  are  true  Negroes 
and  are  to  be  distinguished  from  the  Bantu  popula- 
tions of  Congo,  Beige  and  southern  Africa.  Most 
of  the  native  tribes  are  pagan.  In  the  western  half 
of  Liberia,  however,  Mohammedanism  has  taken  hold 
of  the  great  tribes  of  Mandingo  and  Vai.  Among 
all  these  natives  the  tribal  organization  and  govern- 
ment remain  in  full  force,  although  most  of  them 
recognize  the  sovereignty  of  the  Republic;  native 
dress,  arts,  and  industries  remain ;  among  the  pagan 
tribes  polygamy  is  common ;  domestic  slavery  still 
exists;  witchcraft  is  recognized  and  the  ancient 
ordeals  are  practiced. 

Political  Geography. — 1.  The  name  Liberia  was 
suggested  in  1824  by  Robert  Goodloe  Harper,  of  Bal- 
timore, Maryland,  and  has  reference  to  the  fact  that 
the  colony  was  established  as  a  land  of  freedom;  the 
capital  city,  Monrovia,  was  also  named  on  his  sugges- 
tion in  honor  of  the  president  of  the  United  States 
at  that  time,  James  Monroe.  The  Republic  of  Liberia 
is  divided  for  administrative  purposes  into  four  coun- 
ties— Montserrado,  Grand  Bassa,  Sinoe,  and  Mary- 
land. These  are  named  in  order  from  west  to  east. 
The  portion  of  Montserrado  County  lying  around 
Cape  Mount  forms  a  territory  with  Robertsport  as 
its  capital  and  chief  city. 


22  LIBERIA. 

2.  It  is  difficult  to  learn  reliable  facts  regarding 
the  population  of  Liberia.  Sir  Harry  Johnston  made 
a  careful  estimation  of  the  number  of  Americo- 
Liberians,  listing  each  of  the  settlements  and  stating 
their  probable  number  of  inhabitants.  He  found  the 
total  to  be  11,850  persons — or  in  round  numbers 
12,000;  he  estimated  that  there  were  30,000  natives 
who  had  been  more  or  less  in  contact  with  the  white 
man  and  knew  something  of  English  or  some  other 
European  language  and  of  civilization;  he  estimated 
the  total  of  untouched  native  population  at  2,000,000 
persons.  Delafosse,  an  exceptionally  cautious  ob- 
server, claims  30,000  civilized  inhabitants.  Gerard 
raises  the  citizen  mass  of  the  Republic  to  80,000  per- 
sons, of  whom  20,000  are  Amerieo-Liberians  and 
60,000  are  natives  who  have  submitted  themselves  to 
the  laws  of  the  country.  It  is  certain  that  Sir  Harry's 
estimate  of  the  number  of  interior  natives  is  at  least 
double  the  reality ;  so  far  as  the  other  elements  of 
population  are  concerned,  he  is  probably  somewhat 
near  the  facts,  although  it  is  likely  that  his  number 
of  12,000  Amerieo-Liberians  is  an  underestimate. 

3.  Most  of  the  Araerico-Liberian  settlements  are 
on  the  coast,  although  there  are  a  number  along  the 
St.  Paul's  River  and  a  few  upon  some  of  the  other 
rivers.  There  are  four  cities  in  the  Republic,  with 
mayor  and  common  council ;  Monrovia,  Grand  Bassa, 
Edina,  and  Harper.  The  townships  are  Robertsport, 
Marshall,  River  Cess,  Greenville,  Nana  Kru,  Cavalla. 
In  order  to  reduce  the  expense  of  the  government 
service,  the  Liberian  government  has  limited  the  num- 
ber of  open  ports  where  foreigners  may  trade.  The 
open  ports  at  the  present  time  include  the  cities  and 
townships  above  mentioned  and  also  ]\Ianna,  Nifu, 
Sasstown,  and  Fishtown.  The  remaining  ports  are 
open  for  trade  to  Liberians  but  not  to  foreign  traders. 
They  are,  Little  Bassa,  Tobakoni,  New  Cess,  Trade 
Town,  Grand  Kulloh,  Tembo,  Rock  Cess,  Bafu  Bay, 
Butu,  Kroba,  Beddo,  Pickanini  Cess,  Grand  Cesters, 
Wedabo,  Puduke,  Garawe. 


DESCRIPTION. 


23 


4,  We  reproduce  Sir  Harry  Johnston's  table.*  It 
appears  to  have  been  carefully  made  and  deserves 
consideration.  We  happen  to  have  another  set  of 
figures,  however,  which  we  can  compare  with  his; 
we  quote  them  from  Ferguson's  Handbook  of  Liberia. 
In  May,  1907,  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  was 
submitted  to  the  popular  vote ;  6579  votes  were  cast. 
Voters  must  be  males  of  at  least  twenty-one  years  and 
owners  of  property;  the  population  represented  by 

♦SUMMARY  OF  POPULATION— AMEEICO-LIBERIANS 


Montserrado  (Johns-  (Fergu- 

County—  ton)        son) 

Eobertsport 400         76 

Koyesvllle 50         57 

St.   Paul's   River 
Settlements  — 

New  Georgia 200  88 

Caldwell 100  109 

Brewerville 200  170 

Clay- Ashland 400  484 

Louisiana 100  81 

New  York 50 

White  Plains 300 

Millsburg 250  17 

Arthington 800  54 

Carey  sburg 400  688 

Croziervllle 100  109 

Bensonville 150  115 

RobertsvlUe 150 

Harrisburg 250  89 

3250 
Settlements  on  the 
Mesurado  River  — 

Barnersville     1  81 

Gardnersvllle  ....     200 

JohnsonviUe    J-  215 

PayneeviUe      |  887 

Monrovia J  2500      106 

Junk  River 

Settlements  — 
SchleflBn  and 

PowellvlUe 225 

Mount  Olive 150 

Marshall 125  55 

Farmlngton  River 
and  Owen's  Qrove.300  14 

800 
Grand  Bassa  County, 
Grand  Bassa  Settle- 
ments— 

Little  Bassa 50 

Edina 250  494 

Hartford 50  74 

St.  John's  River. . .  .350 

Upper  Buchanan. ..  400  1298 

Lower  Buchanan... 600  310 

Tobakoni 50 

1750- 


Coast:  Grand  Bassa      (Jolins-  (Feryu- 
County—  ton)        son) 

Grand  Bassa  to 
River  Cestos 150 

On  River  Cestos 50 

Slnoe  County, 

Slnoe  Settlements — 

SIno  River 50 

Lexington 100  63 

Greenville 350  156 

Philadelphia 125 

Georgia 125 

750 
Kru  Coast— 

Nana  Kru  ] 

Setra  Kru   | 

Nifu  }■ 150 

Sass  Town  1 

Garawe       J 
Maryland  County, 

Cape  Palmas  and 
Lower  Cavalla— 

Rocktown 100 

Harper 900  258 

Philadelphia 100 

Latrobe 50 

Cuttington 100 

Half  Cavalla 50 

Hoffmann 50 

Middlesex 50 

Jacksonville 75 

Bunker  Hill 25 

Tubman  Town 100 

New  Georgia 25 

HllllervUle 25 


1650 


Scattered  In  Interior 
Kellpo,  Maryland  ] 

County 
Boporo  Region       f- . 
Upper  St.  Paul's,    | 

etc.,  etc.  J 


11.850 


Owing  to  the  use  of  different  names, 
and  the  use  of  the  same  name  in  differ- 
ent ways,  a  complete  comparison  Is 
impossible. 


24 


LIBERIA. 


them  would  surely  be  at  least  three  times  this  num- 
ber— which  gives  a  minimum  of  19,737.  These  figures, 
however,  can  not  be  depended  upon  without  qualifica- 
tion, because  no  doubt  "natives"  were  among  the 
voters;  in  fact,  when  matters  of  importance,  upon 
which  public  opinion  is  actively  aroused,  are  voted 
on,  the  "brother  from  the  bush"  is  mustered  to  the 
polls  in  considerable  numbers.  "We  copy  the  numbers 
voting  at  different  settlements  in  column  parallel  to 
Sir  Harry  Johnston's  figures.  Curious  discrepancies 
occur,  as  for  instance,  cases  where  a  larger  number 
of  votes  were  cast  than  Sir  Harry's  figure,  which  is 
supposed  to  give  the  total  number  of  population. 

5.  As  vital  statistics  for  Liberia  are  rare,  and  it 
is  interesting  to  know  how  immigrants  survived 
the  acclimating  fever,  we  subjoin  a  table  taken 
from    the    African  Eepository.*     It    is    interesting 

*  POPULATION  MOVEMENT  FOR  LIBERIA  (EXCLUSIVE 
OF  MARYLAND)  FROM  1820  TO  1843 

rear  Arrivals 

1820 86 

1821 33 

1822 37 

1823 65 

1824 103 

1825 66 

1826 182 

1827 234 

1828 301 

1829 247 

1830 326 

1831 165 

1832 655 

1833 639 

1834 237 

1835 183 

1836 209 

1837 76 

1838 205 

1839 56 

1840 115 

1841 86 

1842 229 

1843 19 


Deaths 

Removals 

Births,  Llv. 

Pop. 

15 

35 

— 

36 

7 

8 



54 

14 

5 

3 

75 

15 

8 

6 

120 

21 

8 

3 

200 

21 

3 

6 

248 

48 

6 

3 

379 

29 

14 

6 

576 

137 

24 

12 

638 

67 

25 

20 

813 

110 

25 

20 

1,024 

83 

12 

30 

1,117 

129 

83 

13 

1,573 

217 

122 

44 

1,917 

140 

31 

33 

1,016 

83 

32 

48 

2,132 

145 

13 

47 

2,230 

141 

6 

58 

2,217 

185 

12 

56 

2,281 

135 

10 

55 

2,247 

180 

6 

40 

2,218 

100 

9 

78 

2,271 

91 

15 

35 

2,429 

85 

2 

29 

2,390 

DESCRIPTION.  25 

in  various  ways.  The  large  uurnber  of  deaths,  nearly 
one-half  the  total  of  immigrants,  is  not  strange  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  a  large  part  of  the  persons  sent 
were  well  on  in  years,  or  worn  out  through  service. 
Such,  and  small  children,  were  especially  liable  to 
die  under  the  new  conditions.  Under  the  circum- 
stances, the  number  of  removals  (presumably  returns 
to  the  United  States)  is  not  large.  Most  interesting 
of  all,  however,  is  the  column  of  viable  births.  How 
would  it  compare  with  the  present?  The  impression 
the  visitor  receives  is  that  the  Americo-Liberian  pop- 
ulation is  barely  holding  its  own — if  it  is  doing  that. 
Society. — 1.  In  considering  the  society  of  Liberia, 
and  the  problems  with  which  the  Liberian  govern- 
ment has  had  to  deal,  it  is  necessary  to  sharply  distin- 
guish the  different  elements  of  which  it  is  composed. 
We  have  already  indicated  them,  but  it  will  be  well 
here  to  clearly  separate  them.  We  may  first  recognize 
inunigrant  and  aboriginal  populations.  The  immi- 
grant population,  as  we  use  the  term,  includes  negroes 
who  have  come  from  the  United  States,  from  the 
British  West  Indies,  or  from  South  America,  and 
their  descendants;  this  class  also  includes  a  number 
of  recaptured  Africans  and  their  descendants.  The 
first  settlers  were  of  course  American  freed-men  from 
the  United  States.  They  and  their  descendants  have 
always  formed  the  bulk  of  the  Liberian  population. 
Immigration  from  the  United  States  has  never  en- 
tirely ceased,  although  in  these  latter  days  the  new- 
comers have  been  people  who  were  born  in  freedom. 
There  is  a  very  considerable  number  of  so-called 
"West  Indian  Negroes"  in  Liberia;  ever  since  the 
foundation  of  the  Republic  there  has  been  a  small 
but  rather  steady  influx  of  such  individuals.  Occa- 
sionally immigrants  have  also  come  from  South 
American  colonies  and  from  various  British  colonies 
and  settlements  along  the  coast  of  West  Africa;  all 
of  these  new-comers  are  included  under  the  general 
term  of  Americo-Liberians,  even  though  they  may 
have  had  no  relation  to  America.     During  the  early 


26  LIBERIA. 

days  of  Liberia  it  was  customary  to  send  Africans  who 
had  been  captured  on  slaving  ships  by  American  war 
vessels  to  Liberia  for  settlement;  these  individuals 
were  known  as  recaptured  Africans,  and  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  settle  them  in  places  by  themselves; 
although  such  recaptured  Africans  rapidly  acquired 
the  improvements  of  civilization  and  showed  them- 
selves industrious,  enterprising,  and  progressive, 
they  were  generally  looked  upon  with  more  or  less 
contempt  by  the  other  settlers.  The  aboriginal  popu- 
lation may  be  divided  into  three  quite  different 
groups.  The  coast  natives,  Kru  and  others,  have 
long  been  in  constant  contact  with  white  men  and 
have  acquired  considerable  knowledge  of  the  outside 
world;  they  are  constantly  employed  by  steamers 
both  as  crews  and  in  loading  and  discharging  cargoes. 
In  the  western  half  of  the  Republic  Mohammedan  in- 
fluence is  strong;  the  Mandingo,  most  of  the  Vai, 
and  considerable  numbers  of  such  tribes  as  the  Gola 
are  Mohammedans;  the  influence  of  Mohammedanism 
is  spreading  and  the  presence  of  this  element  is  des- 
tined to  have  its  effect  upon  the  nation.  The  third 
element  of  the  native  population  is  the  interior  natives 
living  the  old  tribal  life.  Having  thus  called  atten- 
tion to  the  different  elements  which  mingle  in  Liberian 
society,  it  will  be  understood  that  our  further  dis- 
cussion in  this  section  has  reference  only  to  the  civi- 
lized Liberians. 

2.  The  Liberian  settlements  generally  consist  of 
well  built  houses  arranged  along  broad,  straight 
streets.  The  style  of  architecture  is,  as  might  be 
expected,  influenced  by  the  plantation  houses  of  our 
southern  states  before  the  war.  It  was  natural  that 
the  freed-men,  when  they  had  a  chance  to  develop, 
should  copy  those  things  with  which  they  were 
familiar.  Towns,  houses,  dress,  life — all  were  repro- 
ductions of  what  was  considered  elegant  in  the  days 
before  removal.  Of  course  Monrovia,  as  the  capital 
city,  is  the  best  representative  of  the  development. 
It  is  a  town  of  perhaps  7,000  inhabitants ;  it  is  sharply 


DESCRIPTION.  27 

divided  into  two  divisions,  a  civilized  quarter  upon 
the  summit  of  a  ridge  some  290  feet  in  height ;  here 
live  the  Americo-Liberians  and  the  European  resi- 
dents. The  buildings  are  for  the  most  part  rather 
large  constructions  of  one  and  a  half  or  two  stories; 
the  houses  have  large  rooms  with  high  ceilings  and 
are  generally  supplied  with  balconies  and  porches. 
Krutown,  lying  along  the  water 's  edge  on  the  seacoast 
and  fronting  the  interior  lagoon,  consists  of  large, 
rectangular  native  houses  closely  crowded  together, 
and  its  narrow  streets  swarm  with  people.  Five  min- 
utes' walk  takes  one  from  the  Executive  Mansion  in 
the  heart  of  the  civilized  quarter  to  the  heart  of 
Krutown. 

While  on  the  streets  of  Monrovia  one  may  see  a 
startling  range  of  clothing,  due  to  the  fact  that  there 
are  pagan  natives,  Kru  boj's,  ^lohammedans,  and 
Americo-Liberians,  all  jostling  and  elbowing  each 
other.  The  Americo-Liberian  dresses  very  much  like 
civilized  people  in  our  ordinary  country  towns.  There 
are  of  course  differences  in  wealth,  and  one  may  see 
all  grades  of  dress.  On  all  public  occasions  men  of 
prominence  appear  in  the  regulation  dress  of  our 
southern  states.  Sir  Harry  Johnston  says  that 
"Liberia  is  the  land  of  the  cult  of  the  dress-suit." 
Nowhere  else  have  I  ever  seen  so  large  a  number,  pro- 
portionally, of  dress-suits,  frock-coats,  and  stovepipe 
hats  as  in  Monrovia  upon  Sundays  or  days  of  cele- 
bration. 

3.  All  speak  English,  and  though  Sir  Harry  does 
not  like  their  English,  it  is  far  better  than  might  be 
expected,  though  there  are  indeed  colloquialisms.  All 
who  meet  you  give  friendly  greetings.  At  first  it  is 
something  of  a  shock  to  have  the  children  as  they  pass 
say  "Mawnin,  paw,"  or  address  one  as  "daddy,"  but 
one  soon  becomes  accustomed  to  it.  On  the  whole,  the 
life  of  the  people  is  that  of  simple  country  folk.  They 
are  well  satisfied  with  tiieir  condition  and  take  life 
easy.  They  love  to  sit  on  the  porch  and  chat  with 
passers.    On  the  whole,  it  must  be  admitted  that  they 


28  LIBERIA, 

lack  energy.  The  number  who  really  think,  lead, 
direct,  control,  is  very  small.  There  is,  as  among  our 
own  colored  people  here  at  home,  something  of  over- 
elegance  in  both  speech  and  manner.  While  a  very 
large  number  of  them  read,  few  indeed  have  even 
a  moderate  education. 

4.  Sociability  is  largely  developed.  They  love 
to  gather  upon  every  kind  of  pretext.  There  are  prac- 
tically no  places  of  public  amusement.  In  1831  there 
was  a  public  library  with  twelve  hundred  volumes  in 
the  city  of  Monrovia ;  to-day  there  is  no  public  library 
or  reading-room  in  the  capital  city.  Lodges  are  nu- 
merous and  the  number  of  secret  organizations  is 
very  large.  There  are  eight  or  ten  Free  Masons 
Lodges;  the  Grand  United  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  has 
sixteen  lodges  and  upwards  of  three  hundred  mem- 
bers; the  United  Brothers  of  Friendship  have  lodges 
at  ten  of  the  most  important  towns  and  The  Sisters 
of  the  Mysterious  Ten — which  is  the  female  branch 
of  the  order — has  four  temples;  the  Independent 
Order  of  Good  Templars  too  is  represented.  Literary 
societies  and  lyceums  are  from  time  to  time  organ- 
ized, but  usually  have  a  short  existence;  one,  how- 
ever, at  Cape  Palmas,  seems  to  have  outlived  the  usual 
period.  A  respectable  Bar  Association  has  been  in 
existence  for  several  years,  has  annual  meetings,  and 
prints  its  proceedings. 

5.  There  is  little  of  what  could  be  called  literary 
activity  in  the  Republic.  One  sees  some  books,  but 
there  are  no  book-stores;  the  number  of  individuals 
who  have  modest  private  libraries  must  be  very  small. 
It  is  true,  however,  that  a  considerable  number  of 
men  can  write  remarkably  well.  The  public  docu- 
ments of  the  Eepublic  have  always  been  well  worded 
and  forceful.  The  messages  of  successive  presidents 
to  the  legislature  have  shown  extraordinary  ability. 
One  who  follows  the  dealings  of  Liberian  officials 
with  foreign  governments  is  constantly  impressed  by 
the  fact  that  in  deliberation  they  show  .-judgment,  in 
diplomatic  procedure  extraordinary  skill.     It  is  cer- 


DESCRIPTION,  29 

tainly  no  unjust  discrimination  to  emphasize  the 
literary  power  of  such  men  as  Ex-President  Arthur 
Barclay,  Chief  Justice  J.  J.  Dossen,  Ex-Secretary  of 
State  F.  E.  R.  Johnson,  and  Judge  E.  Barclay,  a  poet 
of  no  mean  ability.  Oratory  is  inherent  in  the  race 
and  the  number  of  individuals  who  can  deliver  a 
public  address  of  merit  on  the  celebration  of  Inde- 
pendence Day  or  other  occasion  is  very  large.  Such 
orations  are  often  put  into  print,  and  a  considerable 
library  might  be  made  of  this  kind  of  production. 
Comparatively  few  have  written  seriously  on  public 
questions  or  on  history.  Occasionally  something  in 
this  line  is  printed — Karnga's  Negro  Republic  on 
West  Africa,  and  Branch's  Sketch  of  the  History  of 
Arthington  are  samples.  The  one  notable  literary 
man  whom  Liberia  has  produced  is  Edward  Wilmot 
Blyden,  who  died  a  year  ago;  his  name  is  known 
wherever  the  English  language  is  read  and  his  con- 
tributions upon  negro  subjects  were  many  and 
important. 

6.  New^spapers. — When  we  were  in  Monrovia  in 
October  and  November,  1912,  no  newspaper  was 
printed  in  the  capital  city.  At  that  time  six  peri- 
odicals were  published  at  different  places  in  the  Re- 
public. They  were :  The  Living  Chronicle,  The  Silver 
Trumpet,  both  printed  at  Cape  Palmas;  The  African 
League,  at  Grand  Bassa;  The  Gazette  (official)  and 
Liberia  and  West  Africa,  at  Monrovia.  Three  of  these 
publications  were  missionary  enterprises,  one  was  an 
oflficial  monthly  publication,  and  one  was  an  actual 
newspaper  appearing  monthly.  This,  The  African 
League,  was  conducted  by  J.  H.  Green,  an  American 
negro  from  Little  Rock,  Arkansas;  it  began  in  the 
United  States  and  is  now  in  its  fifteenth  volume ;  it 
was  removed  to  Liberia  at  the  beginning  of  its  fourth 
volume,  which  was  printed  in  Monrovia  in  1902 ;  it 
is  now  conducted  at  Buchanan,  or  Grand  Bassa.  The 
African  Leag\ie  is  a  live  sheet  and  discusses  the  ques- 
tions of  the  day  with  considerable  independence. 
Newspapers  in  Liberia  have  a  hard  time  and  usually 


30  LIBERIA, 

mairitain  a  l)rief  existence ;  so  true  is  this  that  per- 
sons are  extremely  cautious  about  subscribing  by  the 
year  to  any  publication  for  fear  that  it  will  end  after 
the  publication  of  the  first  few  numbers;  for  this 
reason  it  is  more  customary  to  buy  single  copies  than 
to  subscribe  for  a  definite  term.  Still  worse  than  this, 
it  is  far  more  the  custom  for  Liberian  readers  to  bor- 
row newspapers  than  to  buy  them ;  nowhere  perhaps 
does  a  single  copy  of  a  periodical  go  so  far.  All  of 
this  makes  editing  and  publishing  an  uphill  task. 

PEEIODICALS  OF  LIBEKIA 

In  the  course  of  reading,  rummaging  and  inquiry,  I  have 
secured  a  lot  of  fragmentary  information  regarding  Liberian 
periodicals.  I  present  the  matter  here  because  taken  together 
it  is  more  in  quantity  and  more  definite  than  I  have  been  able  to 
find  anywhere  in  print.  I  make  this  note  in  the  hope  that  it  may 
bring  me  information  to  correct  and  extend  the  list. 

1829  The  Liberia  Herald.     John  B.  Eusswarm  was  the  first 

editor.  Hiliary  Teague  and  Edward  Wilmot  Blyden 
(1851)  edited  it  at  times.  Whether  it  was  continu- 
ously published,  I  do  not  know.  It  was  sometimes, 
perhaps  always,  aided  by  the  government. 

1830  Liberian  Star. 
(1832)   The  Amulet. 

(1839)   The  African  Luminary. 
(188-)   The  Observer. 
1898     The  Liberia  Recorder — 1906.     Last  editor,   N.  H.  B. 

Cassell. 
1898     Liberia  and  West  Africa.     (Vol.  XIV  in  1912.)     Pub- 
lished by  the   Methodist   Episcopal   Mission,   at  the 
College  of  West  Africa.     Perhaps  at  first  The  New 
Africa. 

The  WeeMy  Spy. 

■ The  Baptist  Monitor. 

The  New  Africa. 

The  Living  Chronicle.  1  All  between  1898 

The  Cape  FalmasEepoi-ter;morLt\i\j.    (and  1902. 

J.  J.  Dossen. 

The  Youth's  Gazette  (student  paper, 

College  of  West  Africa). 

1902  The  African  League:  Monrovia,  monthly;  later  Bu- 
chanan, semi-monthly.  J.  H.  Green.  Began  publica- 
tion in  the  United  States;  the  fourth  volume  at 
Monrovia. 


DESCRIPTION.  31 

1903     The  Monrovia  Weelcly. 

The  National  Echo   (governmental). 

(1905)   The  Liberia  Bulletin. 

(1905)  Liberia  Gazette. 

The  Agricultural  World,  Monrovia.     P.  O.  Gray, 

(1907)   The  Monrovia  Spectator. 

1907     The  Silver    Trumpet,   Cape   Palmas,    quarterly.      S.    D. 
Ferguson,  Jr. 
The  Liberia  Register,  Monrovia.     John  L.  Morris. 

1911  The  Guide,  Monrovia,  monthly.     F.  Wilcom  Ellegor, 

1912  Liberia  Official  Gazette,  Monrovia,  nionthly. 

Christian  Advocate. 

Cavalla  Messenger, 

Sons  of  Cape  Palmas. 

Parenthesis  indicates  that  the  periodical  was  printed  at  least 
during  the  enclosed  date. 

7.  The  importance  of  education  in  the  Black 
Republic  is  by  no  means  overlooked,  but  it  has  always 
been  difficult  to  raise  the  money  to  conduct  schools. 
The  office  of  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  is 
a  Cabinet  position.  In  1912  ninety-one  schools  were 
under  his  direction.  There  are  many  mission  schools 
in  the  Republic,  some  of  them  of  high  grade,  and  all 
of  them  doing  a  useful  work.  Liberia  College  has  had 
an  existence  of  a  half  century,  and  most  of  the  men 
of  prominence  in  the  later  history  of  the  Republic 
have  received  instruction  within  its  walls;  it  has  re- 
ceived a  partial  endoM^ment  from  private  American 
sources,  but  is  also  assisted  by  financial  aid  from  the 
government.  As  education  is  one  of  the  most  serious 
problems  facing  the  Republic,  it  will  be  discussed  un- 
der a  separate  heading,  and  further  comment  may 
be  delayed. 

8.  The  Liberians  are  a  very  religious  community; 
the  Bible  is  read  with  old-fashioned  devotion :  Theol- 
ogy is  of  the  orthodox  and  rigid  type ;  Sunday  is  a  day 
of  rest  and  religious  duty,  and  Sabbath  desecration 
approaches  the  dangerous.  There  are  churches  in  all 
the  settlements,  and  in  Monrovia  and  the  other  cities 
several  denominations  are  represented.  The  Protes- 
tant Episcopal,  Methodist  Episcopal.  African  Meth- 
odist, Baptist,  Presbyterian,  and  Lutheran  denomina- 


32  LIBERIA. 

tions  are  represented  either  by  independent  churches 
or  by  mission  work.  The  emotional  nature  of  the 
negro  is  well  known,  and  the  religion  which  ministers 
to  them  in  Liberia  is  emotional  to  a  high  degree ;  re- 
vivals are  common — in  fact  they  recur  probably  at 
annual  intervals — and  are  accompanied  by  all  the  dis- 
plays of  extravagant  and  explosive  demonstration 
which  once  were  common  among  the  negroes  of  our 
southern  states  and  earlier  among  white  populations 
in  the  north.  Conviction  of  sin  and  the  attainment 
of  glory  are  the  two  chief  ends  sought  in  these  reviv- 
ing efforts. 

9.  Some  facts  in  regard  to  the  historj^  of  churches 
in  Liberia  may  prove  of  interest.  The  first  church 
established  was  Baptist  in  1821.  It  had  been  organ- 
ized in  this  country  among  emigrants  about  to  sail 
to  the  land  of  hope ;  in  its  membership  was  the  famous 
Lott  Carey,  who  served  as  leader  and  preacher.  The 
denomination  has  had  a  varied  history  in  Liberia;  it 
spread  rather  rapidly  and  at  one  time  was  widely 
developed ;  it  suffered  some  decline  thereafter,  but 
still  has  several  congregations ;  it  is  strongest  in 
Montserrado  and  Bassa  Counties;  it  maintains  a 
flourishing  Sunday  school  in  ]\Ionrovia. 

In  1825  the  famous  Basle  l^.Iisvsion  undertook  an 
establishment  in  Liberia,  several  missionaries  having 
been  sent  out  from  Switzerland.  Considerable  corre- 
spondence took  place  between  the  officers  of  the  Mis- 
sion Society  and  the  Colonization  Society,  and  some 
of  the  missionaries  visited  the  United  States  before 
going  to  Liberia ;  these  Swiss  missionaries  suffered 
much  from  disease  and  death;  the  effort  was  con- 
tinued for  some  time,  but  eventually  the  work  was 
transferred  to  Sierra  Leone,  and  Liberia  was  left 
unoccupied. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination  entered 
Liberia  in  1832.  It  has  continued  in  active  work 
from  that  date  until  the  present  time;  the  present 
missionary  bishop  for  Africa  is  Joseph  Crane  Hart- 
zell,  whose  residence  is  Funchal,  Madeira,  and  whose 


DESCRIPTION.  33 

field  includes  Liberia,  Angola,  and  Madeira  on  the 
west  coat,  and  Rhodesia  and  Portuguese  Africa  on 
the  east  coast.  A  resident  bishop  (colored)  is  main- 
tained at  Monrovia,  who  is  at  present  Isaiah  B.  Scott, 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  educated  in  the  United  States. 
The  work  is  full  of  life  and  much  headway  is  making. 
The  Report  of  1912  announces  work  at  49  different 
stations  in  four  districts — Bassa  and  Sinoe,  Cape 
Palmas,  Monrovia,  Saint  Paul  River  Districts.  There 
were  15  foreign  missionaries,  3  other  foreign  workers, 
45  ordained  and  86  unordained  native  preachers, 
4317  members.  One  College,  1  High  School  and 
29  elementary  schools  were  reported,  with  a  total 
of  63  teachers  and  1882  scholars.  The  work  is  well 
sustained  and  $11,576  was  contributed  during  the 
year  in  the  direction  of  self-support.  The  first  mis- 
sionary sent  into  this  field  was  Melville  B.  Cox,  who 
lived  but  a  few  months  after  his  arrival.  It  is  an 
interesting  fact  that  this  Liberian  mission  is  the  first 
foreign  mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

The  first  Presbyterian  missionary  to  Liberia,  John 
B.  Pinney,  organized  a  church  in  the  colony  in  1833 ; 
its  first  building  was  dedicated  in  1838 ;  a  Presbytery 
was  organized  in  1848,  but  was  soon  dissolved  for  lack 
of  a  legal  quorum;  it  was  organized  again  in  1851, 
when  there  were  three  churches  in  the  country — Mon- 
rovia, Greenville,  Clay- Ashland ;  the  work  was  at  first 
a  purely  mission  work,  especially  directed  towards 
the  aborigines ;  there  were  many  deaths  among  the 
early  missionaries,  and  in  1842  the  policy  was  estab- 
lished of  sending  only  colored  preachers ;  white  men, 
however,  were  sent  again  in  1849.  The  mission  main- 
tained churches  and  schools,  including  the  Alexander 
High  School  at  Monrovia.  The  work  was  continued 
under  considerable  discouragement,  both  white  and 
black  missionaries  dying  in  considerable  numbers, 
until  1899,  when  it  was  abandoned  by  the  mother 
church.  Presbyterianism,  however,  did  not  die,  but 
has  continued  under  local  direction  and  with  self- 
support  up  to  the  present.     It  is  reported  that,  in 

3. 


34  LIBERIA. 

1904,  there  were  ten  clergymen,  nine  churches,  450 
members,  and  437  scholars  on  its  lists.  From  an  his- 
torical sketch  put  out  by  the  Presbyterian  Board,  we 
quote  the  following:  "In  1894  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  resolved  that  its  wisest  policy  in  regard  to 
the  Liberian  church  would  be  to  commit  their  support 
to  the  zeal  and  devotion  of  their  own  members.  In 
pursuance  of  this  resolve  the  amount  of  aid  was  grad- 
ually diminished,  until  in  1899  the  entire  responsi- 
bility was  given  over  to  the  Presbytery  of  West 
Africa.  The  latest  report  shows  that  the  work  has 
not  fallen  off  in  consequence.  There  are  now  fifteen 
churches  with  about  400  members.  This  little  flock 
of  Liberian  Presbyterians  greatly  need  the  prayers 
of  Christians  in  America,  that  they  may  be  kept  faith- 
ful and  pure,  and  use  aright  their  exceptional  oppor- 
tunities for  mission  work  among  the  pagan  tribes." 
A  very  pious  prayer,  but  it  would  be  interesting  to 
know  how  genuinely  the  American  Presbyterians  feel 
aught  of  interest  in,  and  sympathy  with,  "this  little 
flock."  It  is  possible  that,  if  the  flock  is  to  "use 
aright  its  exceptional  opportunities  for  mission  work 
among  the  pagan  tribes,"  an  occasional  expression 
might  be  a  stimulus  to  them. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  began  its  Avork 
with  a  little  school  for  natives  in  the  Cape  Palmas 
District  in  1836.  The  work  has  prospered  notably, 
and  Bishop  Ferguson  in  his  latest  annual  report  re- 
ported 26  clergymen,  25  lay  readers,  46  catechists 
and  teachers,  of  whom  21  were  native  Africans;  he 
had  479  baptisms  in  the  year,  of  whom  423  were  from 
heathenism.  The  present  number  of  communicants 
is  2404,  two-thirds  of  whom  are  native  Africans;  the 
mission  maintained  twenty-two  day  schools  and  nine- 
teen boarding  schools  with  an  attendance  of  1210  in 
the  one,  and  643  in  the  other.  The  work  of  this  mis- 
sion is  approaching  the  point  of  self-support. 

The  Lutherans  began  their  v/ork  in  Liberia  in  1860. 
It  has  been  largely  educational  work;  it  centers  at 
the  Muhlenburg  Boys'   School,   which,    in   1911,   re- 


DESCRIPTION.  35 

ported  145  boarding  pupils,  and  13  day  pupils;  at 
the  Girls'  School  in  Harrisburg  there  were  61  board- 
ing pupils  and  17  day  pupils;  the  mission  maintains 
three  schools  in  the  interior,  with  a  total  of  71  board- 
ing and  6  day  pupils.  One  of  the  strong  features  of 
their  work  is  that  they  encourage  the  boys  to  labor. 
"In  vacation  time  they  remain  in  the  schools  and  put 
in  their  time  on  the  farm,  picking  coffee,  cutting  and 
clearing  land ;  some  of  them  also  worked  in  the  work- 
shops and  in  other  ways  around  the  mission,  rowing 
the  boats  and  making  themselves  generally  useful. 
The  Girls'  School  carries  out  similar  plans  of  educa- 
tion for  the  girls."  This  mission  attempts  to  aid  in 
its  own  support  by  actual  production;  the  proceeds 
of  its  coffee  sales  during  the  j^ear  of  1911  were  some- 
thing like  $1,700,  $1,000  of  which  amount  was  used 
in  the  installation  of  a  water-power  plant.  The  mis- 
sion sets  an  example  in  advanced  methods  which  can 
be  helpful  to  the  Republic  at  large ;  in  reporting  work, 
they  say:  "Until  a  few  years  ago,  our  coffee  was  all 
hulled  by  an  old-fashioned  mill  consisting  of  two  flat 
stones  similar  to  the  burrs  of  the  old  flour  mills  with 
which  our  parents  were  familiar.  This  was  crude  and 
slow,  though  it  did  its  work  fairly  well.  The  chief 
objection  to  its  use  was  the  large  number  of  grains 
which  were  broken.  Five  or  six  years  ago  a  large 
iron  mill  was  installed,  which  effected  a  great  saving 
both  in  time  and  expense,  and  turned  out  coffee  in 
more  marketable  condition.  An  improved  fanning 
machine,  differing  from  the  grain  fanners  in  America 
only  in  the  screens  used,  was  put  in  beside  the  huller. 
By  this  machine  we  can  grade  the  coffee  satisfactorily 
as  to  size  of  grain  desired. ' '  If  only  Liberian  planters 
had  equally  kept  pace  with  the  treatment  of  their 
coffee  harvest,  the  market  would  not  have  suffered  so 
severely  as  it  has.  The  policy  of  this  mission  is  to 
locate  a  married  couple  as  missionaries  at  interior 
points  separated  from  each  other  by  considerable  dis- 
tances; these  places  are  to  be  stations  and  head- 
quarters   within    populations    estimated    at    about 


36  LIBERIA. 

150,000  persons;  it  is  a  capital  plan  and  should  exer- 
cise wide  influence.  In  connection  with  the  mission 
a  store  is  conducted  which  not  only  maintains  itself, 
but  leaves  a  profit  of  some  hundreds  of  dollars  yearly ; 
a  tailor-shop,  shoe-shop,  a  blacksmith-shop,  and  a 
doctor's  office,  are  also  maintained,  which  not  only 
care  for  themselves,  but  add  somewhat  to  the  income. 
On  the  whole,  the  work  and  plans  of  this  mission  are 
markedly  practical. 

The  last  mission  in  order  of  establishment  is  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  Mission, 
founded  under  Bishop  Turner.  It  has  been  success- 
ful under  the  direction  of  Bishop  Turner,  Bishop 
Moore,  and  Bishop  Shaffer.  Its  superintendent  is 
the  Rev.  L.  C.  Curtis ;  it  has  five  church  buildings,  16 
ordained  and  3  unordained  preachers,  3  missionary 
teachers,  501  members.  It  has  an  industrial  school 
with  100  acres  of  land  on  the  St.  Paul's  River.  It  is 
the  only  one  of  all  the  missions  which  originates  with 
colored  men  and  which  is  carried  through  without 
white  assistance. 

Government. — 1.  The  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence of  Liberia  was  adopted  on  July  26,  1847.  It  is 
a  human  document  of  extraordinary  interest.  As  a 
basis  for  it,  the  declarers  state  their  case  in  the  fol- 
lowing words:  "We  the  people  of  the  Republic  of 
Liberia,  were  originally  inhabitants  of  the  United 
States  of  North  America.  In  some  parts  of  that  coun- 
try we  were  debarred  by  law  from  all  rights  and  privi- 
leges of  men — in  other  parts,  public  sentiment,  more 
powerful  than  law,  ground  us  down.  We  were  every- 
where shut  out  from  all  civil  offices.  We  were  ex- 
cluded from  all  participation  in  the  government.  We 
were  taxed  without  our  consent.  We  were  compelled 
to  contribute  to  the  resources  of  the  country,  which 
gave  us  no  protection.  We  were  made  a  separate  and 
distinct  class,  and  against  us  every  avenue  of  im- 
provement was  effectually  closed.  Strangers  from  all 
lands,  of  a  color  different  from  ours,  were  preferred 
before  us.    We  uttered  our  complaints,  but  they  were 


DESCRIPTION.  37 

unattended  to,  or  met  only  by  alleging  the  peculiar 
institution  of  the  country.  All  hope  of  a  favorable 
change  in  our  country  was  thus  wholly  extinguished 
in  our  bosoms,  and  we  looked  about  with  anxiety  for 
some  asylum  from  the  deep  degradation. ' '  The  whole 
document  is  .well  worth  reading. 

2.  The  Constitution  was  adopted  on  the  same  day, 
which  date  is  celebrated  annually  as  the  birthday  of 
the  nation.  The  document  is  largely  patterned  after 
our  own,  but  presents  some  interesting  points  of  dif- 
ference. Among  these,  three  deserve  special  mention. 
Slavery  is  absolutely  prohibited  throughout  the  Re- 
public. Citizenship  is  limited  to  negroes  or  persons 
of  negro  descent;  in  the  original  Constitution  the 
wording  was,  that  it  was  confined  to  "persons  of 
color,"  but,  as  curious  questions  gradually  arose  in 
regard  to  who  should  be  considered  "persons  of 
color,"  an  amendment  was  adopted,  changing  the 
expression  to  "negroes  or  those  of  negro  descent." 
The  ballot  is  cast  by  male  citizens,  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  and  owning  real  estate. 

3.  This  Constitution  remained  without  amend- 
ment for  sixty  years.  In  the  beginning  the  term  of 
president,  vice-president,  and  representatives  had 
been  fixed  at  two  years,  and  that  of  senators  at  four ; 
experience  demonstrated  that  these  terms  were  too 
short  and  a  vigorous  agitation  to  lengthen  them  took 
place.  The  Liberians  are  a  conservative  people  and 
look  back  with  pride  to  the  doings  of  the  "fathers"; 
very  strong  feeling  was  aroused  at  the  suggestion  of 
changing  the  wording  of  the  sacred  document  which 
they  had  left.  In  time,  however,  sufficient  sentiment 
was  developed  to  lead  to  the  submission  of  amend- 
ments at  the  election  of  1907 ;  the  amendments  were 
carried  by  a  vote  of  5112  to  1467.  By  these  amend- 
ments the  term  of  office  of  president,  vice-president, 
and  representatives  was  extended  to  four  years  and 
that  of  senators  to  six. 

4.  The  flag  of  the  Republic  has  six  red  stripes 
with  five  white  stripes  alternately  displayed  longi- 


38  LIBERIA. 

tudinally ;  in  the  upper  angle  of  the  flag,  next  to  the 
staff,  a  field  of  blue,  square,  covers  five  stripes  in 
depth ;  in  the  centre  of  the  field  is  a  lone  white  star. 

5.  The  great  seal  of  the  Republic  bears  the  fol- 
lowing design: — a  dove  on  the  wing  with  an  open 
scroll  in  its  claws ;  a  ship  under  sail  upon  the  ocean ; 
the  sun  rising  from  the  water;  a  palm-tree,  with  a 
plough  and  spade  at  its  base;  above,  the  words: 
Repuhlic  of  Liberia;  below,  the  national  motto:  The 
Love  of  Liberty  Brought  Vs  Here. 

6.  The  government  of  Liberia  consists  of  three  co- 
ordinate branches — the  Executive,  Legislative,  and 
Judicial.  The  executive  branch  consists  of  the  Presi- 
dent, Vice-President,  and  a  Cabinet  of  seven  mem- 
bers. The  Legislature  consists  of  two  houses — the 
Senate  and  the  House  of  Representatives.  The  judi- 
cial branch  consists  of  a  Supreme  Court  with  a  Chief 
Justice  and  two  Associates,  and  Circuit  Courts  under 
the  supervision  of  the  Supreme  Court.  The  Presi- 
dent, Vice-President,  and  Congressmen  are  elected; 
all  other  ofificers  of  state  are  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent, subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Senate. 

7.  The  President  and  Vice-President  are  elected 
by  the  voters  for  a  period  of  four  years.  The  Presi- 
dent's Cabinet  consists  of  seven  members — Secretary 
of  State,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  Secretary  of  War  and  Navy,  Postmaster- 
General,  Attorney-General,  Superintendent  of  the 
Department  of  Education.  These  officers  have  the 
usual  functions  connected  with  such  positions.  The 
Vice-President  is  President  of  the  Senate.^ 


iThe  present  President  of  the  Eepiiblic  is  Daniel  Edward 
Howard.  He  is  the  third  "native  son"  to  hold  that  office — 
the  first  having  been  President  Johnson.  President  Howard 's 
Cabinet  consists  of  the  following  members:  Secretary  of 
State,  C.  D.  B.  King;  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  John  L.  Morris 
(son  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior)  ;  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
James  Morris;  Secretary  of  War  and  Navy,  Wilmot  E.  Dennis; 
Postmaster-General,  Isaac  Moort ;  Attorney-General,  Samuel  A. 
Eoss;   Superintendent  of  the  Department  of  Education,  Benja- 


DESCRIPTION,  39 

8.  The  Legislature  consists  of  the  Senate  and  the 
House  of  Representatives.  The  Senate  consists  of 
eight  members,  two  from  each  county ;  they  are 
elected  for  a  term  of  six  years.  The  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives at  the  present  time  includes  fourteen  mem- 
bers, apportioned  as  follows:  Montserrado  County, 
four ;  Grand  Bassa  County,  three ;  Sinoe  County, 
three;  Maryland  County,  three;  Cape  Mount  Terri- 
tory, one.  Notwithstanding  its  small  size,  this  Legis- 
lature has  as  broad  a  range  of  matters  to  consider  as 
any  legislative  body  elsewhere ;  thirty-two  committees 
deal  with  matters  ranging  from  foreign  affairs  and 
commerce  through  military  and  naval  affairs,  native 
African  affairs,  and  pensions,  to  engrossing  and  en- 
rolling. Naturally  in  such  a  multiplicity  of  commit- 
tees— most  of  which  consist  of  five  members — ample 
opportunity  is  found  for  the  development  of  political 
ability  among  the  members;  it  seems,  however,  as  if 
membership  on  twenty-two  committees,  a  case  of 
which  occurs  in  the  present  standing  committee  roll, 
was  over-ambition  or  over-loading.  In  case  of  neces- 
sity the  President,  Vice-President,  and  Cabinet  offi- 
cers may  be  impeached.  Impeachment  must  originate 
in  the  House  of  Representatives ;  the  trial  is  made  by 
the  Senate,  over  which  at  the  time  the  Chief  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  presides. 

9.  The  judicial  branch  of  the  government  consists 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  with  a  Chief  Justice  and  two 
Associates,  and  of  Circuit  Courts  wdth  rotating  judges 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Supreme  Court.  All 
judges  are  appointed  by  the  President.  The  Supreme 
Court  holds  two  sessions  annually ;  the  Circuit  Courts 
hold  quarterly. 

10.  Mr.  George  W.  Ellis,  for  a  number  of  years 
secretary  of  our  legation  at  Monrovia,  and  exception- 
ally well  informed  regarding  Liberian  affairs,  states 


min  W.  Payne  (educated  in  the  U.  S.).  The  Vice-President 
is  Samuel  G.  Harmon,  of  Grand  Bassa,  whose  father  was  vice- 
president  in  1876. 


40  LIBERIA. 

that  the  political  authority  of  the  President  is  exer- 
cised in  the  counties  and  territories  by  a  governor 
appointed  by  the  Executive,  who  is  called  Superin- 
tendent. In  the  interior  the  President  is  represented 
by  a  Commissioner,  who  presides  over  each  commis- 
sioner-district, and  who  associates  with  himself  the 
native  chiefs  in  the  control  or  government  of  the 
native  peoples  in  his  district.  In  some  instances  this 
Commissioner  has  judicial  functions,  from  which  an 
appeal  lies  to  the  Quarterly  and  Supreme  Courts. 
The  authority  of  the  Commissioner  is  supported  by 
a  detachment  of  the  Liberian  Frontier  Police  Force, 
with  head-quarters  at  the  Monrovia  barracks. 

11.  In  the  matter  of  lesser  courts  there  are  Quar- 
terly, Probate,  and  Justice  courts,  for  each  of  the 
counties  and  territories.  The  judges  can  only  be  re- 
moved for  cause,  the  President  suspending,  and  his 
suspension  meeting  the  approval  of  the  Legislature. 
Monrovia  recently  abolished  the  Justices  of  the  Peace 
and  established  a  Municipal  Court  with  a  special 
judge,  whose  tenure  of  office  is  during  good  behavior. 

12.  Politics  is  in  great  vogue.  The  Liberians 
have  never  liked  to  work.  Since  the  establishment  of 
the  colony,  agriculture  even  has  had  but  slight  attrac- 
tions for  the  people.  It  is  not  strange,  all  things  con- 
sidered. The  ancestors  of  these  people  used  to  work 
hard  in  the  fields  before  they  went  over  there;  one 
reason  they  went  was  that  they  wanted  to  escape  field- 
labor.  They  had  always  been  accustomed  to  see  their 
masters  live  in  ease,  without  soiling  their  hands  with 
toil ;  when  they  became  their  own  masters,  they  natu- 
rally wanted  to  be  like  the  men  to  whom  they  had 
been  accustomed  to  look  up  with  respect.  Trade  has 
always  been  in  high  repute.  It  was  easy  for  the  new- 
comers to  trade  with  the  natives  of  the  country  and 
rapidly  acquire  a  competence.  So  far  as  work  was 
concerned,  there  were  plenty  of  "bush  niggers"  to 
be  had  cheaply.  There  is,  however,  another  way  of 
escape  from  manual  labor  besides  trade — that  is  pro- 
fessional life.     Everywhere  people  who  do  not  wish 


DESCRIPTION.  41 

to  work  with  their  hands  may  seek  a  learned  profes- 
sion; it  is  so  here  with  us — it  is  so  there  with  them. 
The  Liberians  would  rather  be  "reverends"  or  doc- 
tors or  lawyers  than  to  work  with  their  hands.  Of 
all  the  professions,  however,  law  seems  to  be  the  favor- 
ite. The  number  of  lawyers  in  Liberia  is  unneces- 
sarily large,  and  lawyers  naturally  drift  into  politics ; 
they  aim  to  become  members  of  Congress  or  judges 
of  the  Supreme  Court  or  members  of  the  Cabinet  or 
President  of  the  Republic.  It  is  unfortunate  that  so 
many  of  them  are  anxious  for  that  kind  of  life ;  but 
they  are  skilled  in  it,  and  we  have  nothing  to  teach 
them  when  it  comes  to  politics. 

13.  Ellis  says:  ".  .  .  the  most  notable  char- 
acteristic of  Liberian  government  is  the  existence 
practically  of  only  one  political  party.  The  reasons 
for  this  no  doubt  are  many,  but  important,  if  not  chief 
among  them,  is  the  economic  depression  which  fol- 
lowed the  decline  in  the  price  of  Liberian  coffee. 
Coffee  was  the  overshadowing  industry  of  the  Ee- 
public.  The  Liberian  planters  had  invested  all  the 
capital  they  had  in  the  coffee  industry,  and  when 
coffee  went  down  in  the  early  nineties,  the  different 
Liberian  communities  were  thrown  into  such  a  paraly- 
sis of  hard  times  that  they  have  not  recovered  to  this 
day.  Disheartened  and  financially  distressed,  for- 
merly strong,  self-sustaining,  and  independent, 
Liberian  planters  one  after  another  abandoned  their 
plantations  and  transferred  their  time  and  attention 

vfrom  coffee  and  the  farm  to  politics  and  office-seeking. 
And  while  something  is  due  to  the  ability  of  the 
administrations  to  undermine  opposition  by  captur- 
ing its  capable  leaders  through  the  charm  of  political 
preferment,  something  due  to  the  smallness  of  the 
civilized  population  and  the  disposition  of  voter  and 
leader  alike  to  be  on  the  winning  side,  yet,  economic 
depression  is  at  the  foundation  of  the  one-party  sys- 
tem which  now  obtains  in  Liberia." 

14.  Still  there  has  ever  been  a  nominal  division 
into  parties.     Again  we  quote  from  Ellis:     "Thus 


42  LIBERIA. 

after  the  adoption  of  the  Liberian  constitution  the 
people  divided  themselves  into  two  parties  under  the 
same  names  as  those  which  obtained  at  the  time  in 
the  United  States — the  Republican  and  the  Whig 
parties.  For  some  time  the  Republican  Party  has 
ceased  to  exist  in  Liberian  politics.  The  opposition 
to  the  Whig  Party  has  been  for  the  most  part  unor- 
ganized, without  wise  and  resourceful  leaders,  and 
without  funds  adequate  to  compete  with  the  dominant 
Whig  administrations  in  national  campaigns.  But 
like  the  present  Republican  Party  of  the  United 
States,  the  Liberian  Whigs  have  met  all  the  Liberian 
difficulties  during  the  past  thirty  years  or  more.  The 
Whigs  had  been  progressive,  and  inspired  by  wise 
and  distinguished  statesmen,  the  Liberian  Whigs  have 
repeatedly  addressed  themselves  Math  success  to  the 
Liberian  voters.  Opposition  to  the  Whig  Party  in 
Liberia  at  the  polls  seems  now  to  have  little  or  no 
chance  of  success,  so  that  nomination  on  a  Whig  ticket 
is  equivalent  to  election." 

15.  All  this  is  true,  but  after  all,  at  the  last  elec- 
tion there  was  a  considerable  awakening  of  party 
spirit;  it  was  a  bitter  political  contest.  The  cry  of 
fraud  was  loudly  raised ;  seats  in  Congress  were  chal- 
lenged by  more  than  half  the  total  number  of  mem- 
bership ;  the  question  was  seriously  asked  how  an  in- 
vestigation would  be  possible  on  account  of  the  lack 
of  unimplicated  to  conduct  it.  This  outburst  of  feel- 
ing and  this  cry  of  fraud,  came  at  a  bad  moment;  the 
nation  was  appealing  for  our  financial  assistance;  it 
was  feared  that  a  bad  impression  might  be  produced 
by  the  condition  of  disharmony ;  under  this  fear,  per- 
sonal feeling  w^as  for  the  time  suppressed  and  the 
demand  for  investigation  dropped. 

16.  We  have  already  said  that  the  Liberians  are 
skilled  in  politics  and  that  we  have  but  little  to  teach 
them.  They  know  quite  well  what  graft  means.  In 
fact,  graft  of  the  finest  kind  exists  and  has  existed 
among  the  native  Africans  from  time  beyond  the 
memory   of   man ;     if   the   Americo-Liberians    could 


DESCRIPTION".  43 

have  escaped  from  our  own  republic  without  ideas  in 
this  direction,  such  would  quickly  have  been  devel- 
oped through  contact  with  their  native  neighbors. 
Unfortunately  there  is  considerable  opportunity  for 
graft  in  the  black  Republic.  The  actual  salaries  of 
public  officers  and  congressmen  are  very  small.  Im- 
portant concessions  are,  however,  all  the  time  being 
demanded  by  wealthy  outside  interests.  English, 
German,  French,  American  promoters  have  always 
something  to  propose  to  that  little  legislature,  and 
they  never  come  with  empty  hands.  One  of  the  great- 
est dangers  which  the  nation  faces  is  found  in  these 
great  schemes  of  exploitation  offered  from  outside. 
The  natural  resources  of  the  country  are  very  great; 
but  they  should  be,  so  far  as  possible,  conserved  for 
the  benefit  of  the  people  and  the  nation.  The  temp- 
tation to  betray  the  nation's  interest  for  present 
personal  advantage  is  always  very  great. 

Economics — 1.  We  have  already  called  attention 
to  the  attitude  of  the  Americo-Liberian  toward  man- 
ual labor  and  have  shown  that  it  is,  on  the  whole, 
natural  under  the  circumstances.  Where  there  are 
sharp  contrasts  between  the  elements  of  society,  as 
there  are  in  Liberia  between  the  Americo-Liberians, 
the  Vai,  the  Kru,  and  the  "Bush  Niggers,"  there  is 
bound  to  develop  more  or  less  of  caste  feeling.  This 
was  inevitable  with  people  who  had  themselves  come 
from  a  district  where  caste  was  so  marked  as  in  our 
southern  states.  The  natives  have  never  been  consid- 
ered the  full  equals  of  the  immigrants  nor  treated  as 
brothers;  they  are  "hewers  of  wood"  and  "drawers 
of  water";  they  are  utilized  as  house  servants.  It 
is  convenient  to  be  able  to  fill  one's  house  with  "bush 
niggers"  as  servants,  and  the  settlers  have  done  so 
from  the  early  days  of  settlement.  Why  indeed  should 
one  himself  work  where  life  is  easy  and  where  money 
is  quickly  made  through  trade?  This  feeling  of  caste 
showed  itself  in  various  curious  ways — thus  the  colo- 
nists soon  fell  into  the  habit  of  calling  themselves 


44  LIBERIA. 

"white    men"    in    contrast    to    the    negroes    of    the 
country. 

2.  For  the  present  and  for  some  time  still  the 
chief  dependence  of  the  country  is  necessarily  trade 
in  raw  products.  Wealth  must  come  from  palm  nuts 
and  oil,  piassava,  rubber,  and  the  like.  In  such  prod- 
ucts the  Republic  has  enormous  wealth.  These  can 
only  be  secured  from  the  interior  through  native  help. 
In  order  that  this  kind  of  trade  develop,  it  must  be 
stimulated  by  legitimate  means.  At  present  it  is  not 
as  flourishing  as  it  might  be.  The  natives  are  not 
steady  workers;  they  bring  in  products  when  they 
feel  like  it  or  when  they  have  a  pressing  need  of 
money;  trails  are  bad,  and  transportation  of  raw 
products  for  great  distances  is  hardly  profitable. 
Yet,  if  the  country  is  to  develop,  this  production  must 
be  steadily  increased. 

3.  Ultimately  Liberia  must  depend  on  agriculture. 
With  a  fertile  soil,  a  tropical  climate,  abundant  rain- 
fall— its  possibilities  in  the  direction  of  agricultural 
production  are  enormous.  This  industry  will  be  the 
permanent  dependence  of  the  country.  It  must  be 
the  next  in  order  of  development.  Serious  develop- 
ment of  manufacturing  appears  remote.  Agriculture 
has  always  been  neglected ;  Ashmun  pleaded  with  the 
natives  to  go  into  it  and  prepared  a  little  pamphlet 
of  directions  applicable  to  the  local  conditions; 
friends  have  begged  the  people  ever  since  to  pay  less 
attention  to  trade  and  more  to  cultivation ;  all  in 
vain.  It  is  true,  however,  that  ever  since  the  days 
of  early  settlement,  there  has  been  some  attention 
given  to  the  matter  of  field  culture.  There  was  a 
time  when  there  were  extensive  plantations  of  coffee 
and  fields  planted  with  sugar-cane.  For  a  time  these 
plantations  were  successful,  but  hard  luck  came;  for- 
eign competition  arose,  careless  and  wasteful  methods 
were  pursued,  and  a  paralysis  seems  to  have  fallen 
upon  the  industry.  Sons  of  those  who  once  were  suc- 
cessful planters  have  moved  into  Monrovia  and  en- 
tered polities.    In  the  old  days  there  were  native  vil- 


DESCRIPTION.  45 

lages  in  the  vicinity  of  the  capital  city ;  then  bullocks 
were  constantly  to  be  seen  in  the  Monrovian  market 
and  fresh  meat  was  easily  secured;  to-day  the  native 
towns  have  retreated  into  the  interior,  and  Monrovia 
depends  upon  the  steamers  for  fresh  meat  supplies, 

4.  Through  the  over-emphasis  placed  upon  trade, 
there  has  grown  up  a  needless  importation  of  foreign 
articles.  It  is  not  only  meat  that  is  brought  in  from 
other  lands;  there  was  a  time  when  the  making  of 
shingles  was  a  fairly  developed  industry — to-day  cor- 
rugated roofing  comes  from  the  outside  world ;  one  of 
the  chief  foods  of  the  Liberians  is  rice — it  is  also  one 
of  the  chief  crops  among  the  native  tribes — the  native 
rice  is  of  most  excellent  quality — yet  the  rice  eaten 
by  Americo-Liberians  is  imported  from  foreign  coun- 
tries. There  are  many  articles  which  might  as  well 
or  better  be  produced  in  Liberia,  furnishing  employ- 
ment and  a  source  of  wealth  for  many  of  the  popu- 
lation, which  to-day  are  imported  in  poorer  quality 
and  higher  prices  from  outside. 

5.  There  is  a  widespread  feeling  that  Liberia  has 
great  mineral  wealth.  No  doubt  a  part  of  this  is 
justified ;  much  of  it,  however,  is  merely  due  to  the 
fact  of  ignorance  regarding  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try. There  are  surely  gold  and  copper;  there  is  iron, 
no  doubt,  in  abundance ;  we  have  already  mentioned 
the  possibility  of  diamonds.  Under  such  conditions 
it  is  natural  that  men  throughout  the  whole  Republic 
are  ever  dreaming  of  making  lucky  finds.  Anything 
found  anywhere,  which  chances  to  have  lustre,  is  con- 
sidered precious  and  leads  to  hopes  of  sudden  and 
enormous  M^ealth.  This  widespread  expectation  of 
always  finding  a  bonanza  is  certainly  unfortunate 
for  any  population ;  it  is  unfortunate  for  Liberia,  but 
just  enough  of  actual  mineral  wealth  will  always  be 
discovered  to  keep  it  vigorous.  It  would  be  well  in- 
deed for  the  black  Republic  if  it  were  lacking  com- 
pletely in  mineral  wealth.  It  is  likely  that  the  dis- 
covery of  valuable  deposits  will  harm  the  country  far 
more  than  help  it.     Such  discoveries  are  certain  to 


46  LIBERIA. 

enlist  rapacious  foreign  capital  and  to  lead  to  con- 
stant interference  and  ultimate  intervention.  If 
white  men  in  Dutch  South  Africa  were  unable  to  re- 
sist the  aggressions  of  avaricious  English  miners, 
what  chance  can  the  small  black  Republic  stand?  The 
very  day  I  wrote  this  passage,  I  received  a  letter  from 
a  well-informed  Americo-Liberian.  He  closes  with 
these  words:  "I  am  told  that  the  English  have 
opened  up  a  gold  mine  in  the  rear  of  Careysburg  on 
the  St.  Paul's  River.  This  is  the  last  settlement  on 
the  river,  thirty  miles  inland.  Of  course,  it  is  by 
grant  of  the  legislature,  but  all  based  on  fraud,  as 
I  am  told.  The  yield,  I  learn,  is  very  great,  of  which 
Liberia  sees  and  knoM^s  nothing.  The  whole  thing  is 
guarded  by  an  English  force."  I  have  no  means  of 
knowing  how  much  truth  there  may  be  in  this  state- 
ment of  my  correspondent.  Just  such  things,  how- 
ever, do  occur,  will  occur,  and  such  things  are  fraught 
with  danger. 

6.  It  is  common  to  speak  in  terms  of  pessimism 
regarding  the  economic  conditions  of  Liberia.  This 
has  been  true  for  years.  In  1881,  Stetson  spoke  as 
follows  in  his  Liherian  Republic  as  It  Is:  "This  con- 
dition of  hopeless  bankruptcy  is  fraught  with  danger 
to  the  existence  of  the  Republic.  The  cords  which 
bind  her  to  England  are  being  drawn  closer  and  closer, 
her  exports  go  largely  to  England,  her  imports  are 
from  England,  her  loans  are  from  England,  and  what 
few  favors  she  has  to  grant,  or  are  received  of  her, 
are  to  English  capitalists;  notably  a  charter  recently 
given  to  an  English  company  for  a  railroad  extending 
two  hundred  miles  back  from  Monrovia,  the  capital, 
and  designed  ultimately  to  connect  that  port  with  the 
head-waters  of  the  Niger.  English  influence  and  gun- 
boats may  at  any  moment  settle  the  question  of  the 
future  of  Liberia."  It  will  be  seen  that  this  was 
written  after  the  time  when  Liberia  solicited  her  first 
loan  from  England — the  notorious  loan  of  1870. 

7,  Thirty  years  have  passed  since  then.  England 
has  encroached,  but  she  has  not  yet  absorbed  the 
Liberian  Republic.     Meantime,  while  conditions  are 


DESCRIPTION.  47 

far  from  satisfactory,  they  have  improved;  England 
still  has  large  relations  with  Liberia,  but  there  has 
been  a  wise  development  of  common  interests  with 
Germany  since  1870.  To-day  Germany  has  greater 
shipping  interests,  greater  trade  interests,  greater 
prospects  than  has  Britain.  Germany  may  some  time 
become  a  menace,  but  certainly  for  the  present  she  is 
a  safer  friend  for  Liberia  than  England.  So  far  as 
the  present  financial  circumstances  in  Liberia  are  con- 
cerned, a  few  figures  may  be  quoted.  For  the  ten 
years,  from  1893  to  1903,  the  receipts  of  the  nation 
amounted  to  $2,243,148,  and  the  expenses  to  $2,171,- 
556 ;  an  average  annually  of  something  like  $225,000 
of  income,  $217,000  of  outgo.  In  1905  receipts  were 
$357,000  and  expenditures  $340,000.  In  1911  the  in- 
come rose  to  $443,255  and  the  estimated  outgo  was 
probably  $481,954.  These  figures  are  very  far  from 
discouraging,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should 
not  be  notably  increased  by  judicious  management. 

8.  We  reproduce  a  little  table  of  the  receipts  from 
customs.     It  will  well  repay  careful  examination. 

It  will  be  seen  that  during  the  short  space  of  time 
represented  by  this  table  the  receipts  in  customs  have 
more  than  doubled.  By  fair  dealings  with  the  natives 
of  the  interior  and  by  the  improvement  of  roads, 
this  income  can  be  greatly  multiplied. 

9.  It  is  hardly  to  be  expected,  in  a  population  such 
as  that  with  which  we  are  here  dealing,  that  there 
should  be  a  large  development  in  postal  service.  The 
statistics  of  the  four  years,  from  1907  to  1910  show 
us  the  general  movement  of  postal  matter.  The  total 
amount  is  by  no  means  insignificant  and  a  fair  growth 
is  evident. 

POSTAL  STATISTICS 

Articles                               1907  1908  1909  1910 

Letters:   ordinary    100,979  95,18(i  94,481  104,313 

Letters:   registered   9,052  9,768  9,421  10,458 

Postal  cards   15,142  10,877  15,821  18,386 

Parcel   post    2,888  3,539  2,332  2,895 

Samples   254  299  269  385 

General    movement. .  .128,315     119,669     122,324     136,437 


48  LIBERIA. 

10.  The  Republic  is  now  in  telegraphic  connection 
with  the  outside  world.  Gerard  tells  us  that  "the 
German- South- Amencan  Telegraph  Society,  with  a- 
capital  stock  of  30,000,000  marks,  has  recently  laid  a 
cable  at  Monrovia  which  will  place  the  negro  capital 
herafter  in  rapid  communication  with  the  civilized 
world.  Up  to  this  time  telegraphic  messages  addressed 
to  Liberia  were  delivered  at  Freetown,  and  there  were 
entrusted  to  the  ordinary  postal  service,  upon  the 
semi-monthly  mail-boats  conducting  business  between 
Sierra  Leone  and  the  Grain  Coast.  Constructed 
by  the  North  German  Marine  Cable  Factory  of 
Nordenham-am-Weser,  the  cable,  destined  to  draw 
the  little  Guinean  Republic  from  its  isolation,  starts 
from  Emden,  passes  under  sea  to  the  island  Burkom, 
connects  at  Teneriffe,  in  order  then  to  reach  Monrovia, 
from  whence  it  is  finally  directed  to  Pernambuco,  the 
terminal  point  of  the  line.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
South  American  Cahle  Co.  of  London,  a  French  society 
with  a  French  director  and  supported  by  French 
capital,  has  obtained  a  concession  with  a  view  to  the 
establishment  of  a  submarine  cable  connecting  Conakry 
(Guinea)  with  Grand  Bassam  (Ivory  Coast),  touch- 
ing at  Monrovia,  and  it  is  interesting  to  notice  in 
passing  that  there  has  been  arranged,  in  connection 
with  this  matter,  between  Germany  and  France  a 
friendly  relationship  permitting  the  German  cable  to 
touch  at  Brest,  allowing  the  French  installation  to  be 
accomplished  through  the  German  cable,  and  obliging 
the  two  rival  companies  to  have  similar  tariffs  and 
giving  each  of  them  the  right  of  using  the  apparatus 
of  the  other  in  case  of  the  breaking  of  its  own  con- 
nection. It  is  also  to  the  French  government  that  the 
exclusive  right  has  been  given  of  establishing  a  wire- 
less telegraph  station  which  will  connect  Monrovia 
with  the  Eiffel  Tower  via  Dakar  and  Casablanca,  while 
posts,  constructed  at  Conakry,  Tabou,  and  Cotonou 
will  give  origin  to  radio-telegraphic  connections 
between  Liberia,  French  Guinea,  the  Ivory  Coast,  and 
Dahomey;  the  importance  of  this  project,  to-day  in 


DESCRIPTION.  49 

course  of  execution,  will  escape  no  one,  since  one  will 
understand  that  there  is  question  here  of  installing  the 
Marconi  system  in  Madagascar  and  at  Timbuctu,  and 
of  thus  enclosing  the  whole  black  continent  in  a  net- 
work of  rapid  communication  of  which  France  alone 
will  have  control." 

All  three  of  these  enterprises  have  been  successfully 
carried  through,  and  to-day  Liberia  is  in  easy  con- 
nection with  every  part  of  the  civilized  world.  It  is 
a  notable  step  forward. 

11.  Five  lines  of  steamers  make  regular  stops  upon 
the  coast  of  Liberia.  Chief  of  these  is  the  great 
Woermann  Line,  of  Hamburg.  Two  regular  sailings 
weekly  in  both  directions  touch  at  Monrovia.  Next 
in  importance  are  the  British  steamships  controlled 
by  Elder  Dempster  and  Co.  They  have  a  combina- 
tion consisting  of  the  African  Steamship  Co.  and  the 
British  African  Steam-Navigation  Co.  These  boats 
make  two  weekly  sailings  from  Liverpool  and  one 
monthly  sailing  from  Hamburg.  Nor  are  these  the 
only  landings  made  by  these  lines  at  Liberian  ports. 
It  is  probable  that  the  Woermann  Line  makes  three 
hundred  calls  annually,  and  the  Elder  Dempster  Lines 
two  hundred  and  fifty,  at  Liberian  ports.  A  recent 
arrangement  which,  if  given  fair  attention,  promises 
a  notable  development,  has  been  entered  into  between 
these  two  companies,  whereby  every  two  months  a 
boat  sails  from  New  York  to  Monrovia  and  return; 
The  English  and  German  lines  alternate  in  supply- 
ing this  steamer.  Besides  these  two  lines  of  chief 
importance,  three  other  lines  make  stops  at  Monrovia 
— the  Spanish  Trans-Atlantic  Co.,  of  Barcelona, 
Fraissinet  and  Co.,  of  Marseilles.  France,  and  the 
Belgian  Maritime  Co.  of  Congo,  from  Antwerp. 

12.  Considering  the  dangers  of  its  coast,  the  light- 
house service  of  the  Republic  is  far  from  satisfactory. 
The  old  light-house  .at  Monrovia,  for  years  a  disgrace, 
has  been  replaced  by  a  more  modern  apparatus;  at 
Grand  Bassa  a  light-house  was  erected  at  the  private 
expense  of  Mr.  S.  G.  Harmon,  a  successful  Liberian 


50  LIBERIA. 

merchant,  now  the  Vice-President  of  the  Republic ; 
at  Cape  Palmas  a  good  light-house  has  been  erected, 
visible  at  all  times  to  a  distance  of  six  miles — this  cost 
about  $9000  and  was  a  gift  from  the  French  authori- 
ties. It  is  somewhat  doubtful  whether  it  was  good 
policy  to  accept  a  gift  from  a  neighbor,  who  has  made 
definite  efforts  to  crowd  Liberians  out  of  the  Cavalla 
River,  which  forms  the  natural  boundary  between  the 
Grain  Coast  (Liberia)  and  the  Ivory  Coast  (French). 

13.  The  whole  west  coast  of  Africa  has  for  centur- 
ies depended  only  on  foreign  trade.  Portuguese, 
Dutch,  French,  English,  Germans,  have  all  played 
their  part.  Most  of  these  nations  still  have  interests 
in  that  portion  of  the  Avorld.  So  far  as  the  Liberian 
Republic  is  concerned,  representatives  of  foreign 
houses  have  numerous  trading-posts  upon  its  coast. 
The  house  of  A.  Woermann  has  factories  at  Monrovia, 
Cape  Mount,  Bassa,  Sinoe,  and  Cape  Palmas.  J.  W. 
West  (Hamburg)  is  established  at  Monrovia,  Cape 
Mount,  Grand  Bassa,  and  Sinoe.  Wiechers  and  Helm 
are  at  Monrovia  and  Cape  Palmas.  Wooden  and  Co. 
(Liverpool),  Patterson  and  Zachonis  (Liverpool), 
Victor  and  Huber,  C.  F.  Wilhelm  Jantzen  (Ham- 
burg), and  the  American  Trading  Co.  (established 
only  in  1911),  are  among  those  w^io  trade  in  Liberia. 

14.  A  number  of  development  companies  have  at 
different  times  been  formed  with  the  intention  of 
exploiting  the  black  Republic.  Many  of  these  have 
been  fraudulent  enterprises  and  have  come  to  noth- 
ing ;  some,  started  in  good  faith,  have  failed ;  a  few — 
a  very  few  out  of  many — have  developed  promisingly. 
The  English  Liberian  Ruhher  Corporation  has  a  farm 
of  1000  acres  w^ith  150,000  rubber-trees  already 
planted;  this  w^as  begun  in  1904  and  has  now  reached 
the  period  of  yielding ;  in  1912  it  was  expected  that  it 
would  prove  a  paying  proposition.  The  Liberian 
Trading  Co.  (English)  are  exporting  mahogany  and 
other  valuable  woods.  They  are  opening  commercial 
houses  in  different  parts  of  the  country  and  seeking 
concessions  from  the  government  to  open  roads.     The 


DESCRIPTION.  51 

Liherian  Development  Co.  (English)  discovered  gold 
and  diamonds  in  1908  and  are  now  importing  heavy 
machinery  to  work  their  mines,  together  with  mate- 
rials for  a  railway  to  them,  and  have  already  laid  part 
of  the  railway ;  this  is  probably  the  company  to  which 
my  correspondent,  already  quoted,  refers.  One  of  the 
latest  of  the  development  companies  is  the  Libcrian- 
American  Produce  Co.,  which  was  chartered  in  1910 
by  the  national  legislature  with  the  approval  of  the 
president  of  the  Republic  for  a  period  of  sixty  years. 
It  was  given  large  and  varied  powers,  among  them 
being  the  right  to  build  for  itself  or  for  the  govern- 
ment, roads,  bridges,  harbor-improvements,  railways, 
etc. ;  and  the  company  was  granted  a  concession  of  a 
hundred  square  miles  Avith  the  privilege  of  taking  up 
this  land  in  any  sized  blocks,  anywhere  in  the  country 
by  simply  filing  in  the  State  Deparment  a  description 
of  the  lands  thus  taken  up.  The  company  has  already 
selected  four  square  miles  of  land  containing  mineral 
deposits,  and  plans  to  start  active  operations  in  trade, 
agriculture,  and  mining. 

15.  As  the  subject  of  the  financial  outlook  of  the 
Republic  will  come  up  again  for  consideration,  we 
are  here  only  completing  our  descriptive  picture  of 
the  Republic.  She  has  long  been  in  debt ;  her  resources 
have  been  mortgaged ;  her  customs-houses  have  been 
in  the  hands  of  receivers.  She  has  recently  consoli- 
dated all  her  debts,  foreign  and  domestic,  and  has 
secured  a  loan  through  the  kind  offices  of  the  United 
States  of  $1,700,000.  This  loan  has  been  guaranteed 
by  the  customs-house  receipts,  and  the  customs-service 
is  now  under  the  direction  of  an  international  receiver- 
ship. 


HISTORY 

Africa  is  the  Land  of  Black  Men,  and  to  Africa  they  must 
and  will  come. — John  Kizell. 

Tell  my  brethren  to  come— not  to  fear — this  land  is  good — 
it  only  wants  men  to  possess  it. — Daniel  Cokeb. 

1821-1828. 

The  American  Colonization  Society  was  founded  in 
Washington  in  December,  1816.  To  it  Liberia  is  due. 
On  the  23rd  of  December,  1816,  the  legislature  of  Vir- 
ginia requested  the  governor  of  the  state  to  corres- 
pond with  the  President  of  the  United  States  "for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  territoiy  on  the  coast  of 
Africa,  or  at  some  other  place  not  within  any  of  the 
states,  or  territorial  governments  of  the  United  States, 
to  serve  as  an  asylum  for  such  persons  of  color  as  are 
now  free,  and  may  desire  the  same,  and  for  those  who 
may  hereafter  be  emancipated  within  this  common- 
wealth." A  few  days  after  this  a  meeting  was  held  at 
Washington  to  which  persons  interested  were  invited. 
Bushrod  Washington  presided ;  Mr.  Clay,  Mr.  Kan- 
dolph,  and  others  took  part  in  the  discussions  which 
ensued  and  which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the 
American  Colonization  Society.  Judge  Washington 
was  chosen  president,  a  board  of  twelve  managers 
were  selected,  together  with  seventeen  vice-presidents 
from  various  states.  The  object  of  the  Society  was 
clearly  set  forth  in  the  first  and  second  articles  of  its 
constitution.  "Article  1.  This  society  shall  be  called 
The  American  Society  for  Colonizing  the  Free  People 
of  Color  of  the  United  States.  Article  2.  The  object 
to  which  attention  is  to  be  exclusively  directed,  is  to 
promote  and  execute  a  plan  of  colonizing  (with  their 
consent)  the  free  people  of  color  residing  in  our  coun- 

52 


HISTORY.  53 

try,  in  Africa,  or  such  other  place  as  Congress  shall 
deem  most  expedient.  And  the  Society  shall  act  to 
effect  this  object  in  co-operation  with  the  general 
government  and  such  of  the  states  as  may  adopt  reg- 
ulations on  the  subject." 

We  do  not  desire  in  the  least  to  minimize  the  good, 
either  of  the  intent  or  result,  of  the  American  Colo- 
nization Society.  It  is,  however,  only  just  to  say  that 
it  was  not  a  purely  benevolent  organization.  Its 
membership  included  different  classes.  Of  this  Jay 
says:  "First,  such  as  sincerely  desire  to  afford  the 
free  blacks  an  asylum  from  the  oppression  they  suffer 
here,  and  by  their  means  to  extend  to  Africa  the 
blessings  of  Christianity  and  civilization,  and  who  at 
the  same  time  flatter  themselves  that  colonization  will 
have  a  salutary  influence  in  accelerating  the  abolition 
of  slavery;  Secondly,  such  as  expect  to  enhance  the 
value  and  security  of  slave  property,  by  removing  the 
free  blacks;  and  Thirdly,  such  as  seek  relief  from 
a  bad  population,  without  the  trouble  and  expense  of 
improving  it."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  American 
Colonization  Society  was  largely  an  organization  of 
slave  holders.  Judge  Washington  was  a  southern 
man ;  of  the  seventeen  vice-presidents  twelve  were 
from  slave  states;  of  the  twelve  managers  all  were 
slave  holders.  Through  a  period  of  years  the  Ameri- 
can Colonization  Society  and  the  Abolition  Societies 
of  the  United  States  waged  a  furious  conflict.  The  real 
purpose  of  the  organization  was  to  get  rid  of  the  free 
blacks  at  any  cost,  and  the  attitude  of  its  members 
toward  free  blacks  was  repeatedly  expressed  in  the 
strongest  terms.  Thus,  General  Harper,  to  whom  the 
names  Liberia  and  Monrovia  were  due,  said:  "Free 
blacks  are  a  greater  nuisance  than  even  slaves  them- 
selves." Mercer,  a  vice-president  of  the  Society,  spoke 
of  them  as  a  "horde  of  miserable  people. — the  objects 
of  universal  suspicion. — subsisting  by  plunder." 
Henry  Clay,  an  original  member  of  the  Society  and 
for  many  years  vice-president,  said:  "Of  all  classes 
of  our  population,  the  most  vicious  is  that  of  the 


54  LIBERIA. 

free  colored — contaminated  themselves,  they  extend 
their  vices  to  all  around  them."  Again  Clay  said: 
"Of  all  the  descriptions  of  our  population,  and  of 
either  portion  of  the  African  race,  the  free  persons 
of  color  are  by  far,  as  a  class,  the  most  corrupt,  de- 
praved, and  abandoned."  And  yet  these  excellent 
gentlemen  repeatedly  stated  that  in  sending  free 
black  men  to  Africa,  they  were  actually  combatting 
the  slave  trade  and  Christianizing  the  natives.  Clay 
himself  said,  in  the  same  speech  in  which  he  referred 
to  the  free  blacks  as  "corrupt,  depraved,  abandoned." 
*  *  *  "The  Society  proposes  to  send  out  not  one 
or  two  pious  members  of  Christianity  into  a  foreign 
land;  but  to  transport  annually,  for  an  indefinite 
number  of  years,  in  one  view  of  its  scheme,  6,000,  in 
another,  56,000  missionaries  of  the  descendants  of 
Africa  itself,  to  communicate  the  benefits  of  our  relig- 
ion and  the  arts. ' '  Stripped  of  all  pretense,  the  facts 
were  that  the  free  blacks  of  the  day  were  not  wanted 
in  America,  and  that  they  must  somehow  be  got  rid 
of;  accordingly  they  were  dumped  upon  the  African 
west  coast. 

This  idea  of  recolonizing  black  men  into  Africa  is 
not  a  new  one;  as  far  back  as  1773,  at  which  time 
slavery  was  common  in  New  England,  Dr.  Samuel 
Hopkins  became  convinced  of  its  wickedness  and, 
with  Dr.  Stiles  (afterwards  president  of  Yale  College) 
made  an  appeal  to  the  public  in  behalf  of  some  colored 
men  whom  he  was  preparing  to  send  to  Africa  as  mis- 
sionaries. The  Revolutionary  War  interfered  with 
his  plan.  In  1783  Dr.  Thornton,  of  Washington, 
proposed  a  colonization  scheme  and  organized  about 
forty  New  England  colored  men  to  go  to  Africa ; 
his  scheme  failed  for  lack  of  funds.  The  British 
Sierra  Leone  Company  in  1786  organized  its  colony 
at  Sierra  Leone  for  freed  blacks.  When  Thomas 
Jefferson  was  President,  he  made  application  to  the 
Sierra  Leone  Company  to  receive  American  negroes, 
but  his  request  failed  of  effect.  From  1800  to  1805 
the  project  of  colonization  was  again  discussed.    Very 


HISTORY.  55 

interesting  was  the  work  of  Paul  Cuffy,  born  in  New 
Bedford,  Mass.,  of  negro  and  Indian  parents ;  he  was 
a  man  of  ability,  gained  considerable  wealth,  and 
owned  a  vessel;  he  induced  about  forty  persons  to 
embark  with  him  for  Sierra  Leone  in  1815 ;  they  were 
well  received  and  settled  permanently  in  that  colony. 
Paul  Cuffy  had  larger  schemes  of  colonization  and 
planned  to  transport  a  considerable  number  of  Ameri- 
can negroes  to  Africa,  but  died  before  his  plans  were 
realized. 

In  1818  the  Society  sent  Samuel  J.  Mills  and 
Ebenezer  Burgess  to  seek  a  suitable  location  for  the 
colony.  Samuel  J.  ]\Iills  was  the  young  man  to  whom 
the  work  of  foreign  missions  of  the  United  States  was 
largely  due ;  after  he  graduated  from  college,  he 
planned  to  establish  a  colony  in  the  West ;  he  became 
interested  in  a  seminary  for  the  education  of  colored 
men,  who  should  go  to  Africa  as  missionaries,  at 
Parsippany,  N.  J.  Mills  and  Burgess  went  by  way 
of  England,  where  they  called  upon  various  persons 
of  prominence  in  the  hope  of  receiving  information 
and  advice  which  might  be  of  use  to  them.  They 
sailed  from  the  Downs,  England,  in  February,  1818, 
and  were  in  Sierra  Leone  before  the  end  of  March ; 
they  examined  the  conditions  there  with  interest  and 
then,  in  company  with  John  Kizell  and  a  Mr.  Martin, 
went  farther  down  the  coast;  they  reached  Sherbro 
Island  on  the  first  of  April  and  decided  to  found  the 
settlement  there. 

This  John  Kizell,  who  was  with  them  as  adviser 
and  friend,  was  a  black  man,  a  native  of  the  country 
some  leagues  in  the  interior  from  Sherbro.  His  father 
was  a  chief  of  some  consequence  and  so  was  his 
uncle.  They  resided  at  different  towns;  and  when 
Kizell  was  yet  a  boy  he  was  sent  by  his  father  on  a 
visit  to  his  uncle  who  desired  to  have  the  boy  with 
him.  On  the  very  night  of  his  arrival  the  house  was 
attacked.  A  bloody  battle  ensued  in  which  his  uncle 
and  most  of  his  people  were  killed.  Some  escaped, 
the  rest  were  taken  prisoners,  and  among  the  latter 
was  Kizell.     His  father  made  every  effort  to  release 


56  LIBERIA. 

him,  offering  slaves  and  ground  for  him;  but  his 
enemies  declared  that  they  would  not  give  him  up  for 
any  price,  and  that  they  would  rather  put  him  to 
death.  He  was  taken  to  the  Gallinhas,  put  on  board 
of  an  English  ship,  and  carried  as  one  of  a  cargo  of 
slaves  to  Charleston,  S.  C. — He  arrived  at  Charleston 
a  few  years  before  that  city  was  taken  by  Sir  Henry 
Clinton.  In  consequence  of  the  General's  proclama- 
tion, he,  with  many  other  slaves,  joined  the  royal 
standard. — After  the  war  he  was  remanded  to 
Nova  Scotia  from  which  place  he  came  to  Africa  in 
1792.  Kizell  had  established  a  small  colony  of  colored 
people  on  Sherbro  Island.  He  had  prospered  in 
trade,  built  a  church,  and  was  preaching  to  his  coun- 
trymen. 

Having  accomplished  the  purpose  of  their  journey, 
the  commissioners  started  again  for  the  United  States. 
On  the  voyage  Mills  died. 

On  March  3,  1819,  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
passed  an  act  which  was  of  consequence  to  the  cause 
of  African  colonization.  It  provided  that  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  should  have  authority  to 
seize  any  Africans  captured  from  American  or 
foreign  vessels,  attempting  to  introduce  them  into  the 
United  States  in  violence  of  law,  and  to  return  them 
to  their  own  country.  It  provided  also  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  suitable  agency  on  the  African  coast  for 
the  reception,  subsistence,  and  comfort  of  these  persons 
until  they  could  be  returned  to  their  relatives,  or 
provide  for  their  own  support.  From  the  time  of  the 
passage  of  this  act  the  government  and  the  Society 
worked  in  practical  co-operation. 

The  first  shipment  of  colonists  took  place  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1820,  from  New  York,  by  the  ship  Elizabeth 
which  had  been  chartered  by  the  government.  It 
carried  two  agents  of  the  United  States  Government 
— Rev.  Samuel  Bacon  and  John  P.  Bankson;  Dr. 
Samuel  A.  Crozer  was  sent  as  agent  of  the  American 
Colonization  Society ;  88  emigrants  accompanied  them, 
who  had  promised  in  return  for  their  passage  and 


HISTORY.  57 

other  aid  of  the  Government,  to  prepare  suitable 
accommodations  for  such  Africans  as  the  Govern- 
ment might  afterwards  send.  The  expedition  went 
at  tirst  to  Sierra  Leone,  thence  to  Sherbro  Island, 
landing  at  Campelar,  the  point  chosen  by  Mills  and 
Burgess  for  settlement.  The  place  was  badly  selected. 
Practically  the  whole  company  suffered  frightfully 
from  fever.  Bacon,  Bankson,  and  Crozer,  all  died, 
together  with  many  of  the  colonists. 

A  second  party  was  sent  out  in  1821  in  the 
Nautilus,  a  vessel  chartered  by  the  United  States 
Government.  It  carried  two  agents  of  the  govern- 
ment— J.  B.  Winn  and  Ephraim  Bacon — and  two 
agents  of  the  colony — Joseph  R.  Andrus  and  Chris- 
tian Wiltberger.  Some  emigrants  accompanied  them. 
On  their  arrival  at  Sierra  Leone,  the  emigrants  were 
left  at  Fourah  Bay,  while  Bacon  and  Andrus  went  on 
down  the  coast  in  search  of  a  suitable  situation  for 
settlement. 

In  this  search  they  went  as  far  as  Grand  Bassa. 
Soon  after  they  returned  to  Sierra  Leone,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bacon  were  invalided  home ;  shortly  afterwards 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winn  died  of  fever;  thus  Wiltberger 
was  left  alone  in  charge  of  the  settlement,  until  Dr. 
Eli  Ayres  arrived  as  chief  agent  of  the  Society  in 
the  autumn.  Wiltberger  visited  Sherbro,  and  finding 
the  conditions  of  the  settlers  serious,  he  took  them  with 
him  back  to  Fourah  Bay,  Sierra  Leone.  In  December, 
Capt.  Robert  F.  Stockton,  of  the  Alligator,  came  to 
the  coast  with  orders  to  co-operate  so  far  as  possible 
with  the  agents.  Leaving  Wiltberger  in  charge  of  the 
colonists  at  Fourah  Bay,  Ayres  and  Stockton  made  an 
exploration  of  the  coast.  On  the  11th  they  reached 
Mesurado  Bay,  and  being  pleased  mth  the  appearance 
of  the  district,  they  sought  a  palaver  with  the  native 
chiefs.  Making  their  way  through  the  jungle  to  the 
village  of  the  most  important  chief,  they  found  hun- 
dreds of  people  collected ;  negotiations  were  at  once 
begun  for  land  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mesurado  River, 
upon  which  a  settlement  might  be  made.     The  busi- 


58  LIBERIA, 

ness  was  not  conducted  without  excitement  and  some 
danger,  but  Stockton  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of 
parts,  and  finally  a  contract  was  drawn  up  and  signed 
by  six  kings,  with  their  marks,  and  by  Ayres  and 
Stockton.  The  territory  secured  included  all  of  the 
cape,  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  the  land  for  some 
distance  into  the  interior,  although  the  boundaries 
were  left  indefinite. 

There  was  a  mulatto  trader  living  in  this  district, 
by  the  name  of  John  S.  Mill.  His  friendship  was  of 
importance  to  the  enterprise  in  those  early  days. 
Mill  was  an  African  by  birth,  the  son  of  an  English 
merchant  who  owned  a  large  trading  concern  on  the 
coast;  he  had  enjoyed  a  good  English  education; 
he  was  himself  the  owner  of  the  smaller  of  the  two 
islands  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mesurado  River,  and  this 
island  was  purchased  from  him  for  the  use  of  the 
colony. 

Land  having  been  secured,  measures  were  at  once 
taken  to  remove  the  colonists  from  Fourah  Bay  to 
Cape  Montserrado.  Some  of  them  refused  to  leave, 
and  remained  in  Sierra  Leone,  becoming  British 
subjects.  It  was  January  7,  1822,  when  the  colonists 
under  the  leadership  of  Agent  Ayres  reached  their 
new  home.  It  was  soon  learned  that  King  Peier  had 
been  condemned  by  the  people  for  the  sale  of  the 
land,  and  that  the  natives  desired  that  the  colonists 
should  leave ;  the  vessel,  however,  was  unloaded  and 
preparations  for  building  houses  were  made.  On 
account  of  the  threatening  attitude  of  the  natives,  a 
palaver  was  held.  There  was  considerable  opposition, 
iDut  the  colonists  persisted  in  their  efforts.  The 
month  of  February  was  a  sickly  time,  and  little  was 
done  toward  settlement.  About  the  middle  of  Feb- 
ruary more  settlers  came  from  Fourah  Bay,  and  the 
place  was  crowded  and  in  bad  condition.  Agent  Ayres 
was  absent  in  Sierra  Leone,  when  an  incident  occurred 
which  might  have  had  serious  results  for  the  infant 
colony.  The  colonists  at  this  time  were  living  on 
Perseverance   Island.      A   small   vessel,   prize   to   an 


HISTORY.  59 

English  schooner,  with  thirty  slaves  on  board,  put  in 
for  water  at  the  island.  Her  cable  parting,  she  drifted 
ashore  and  was  wrecked.  It  was  the  custom  of  the 
coast  to  look  upon  wrecks  as  legitimate  booty  for  the 
people  upon  whose  shore  they  occurred.  King  George 
at  once  sent  his  people  to  take  possession  of  the  vessel 
and  the  goods,  but  they  were  met  with  resistance  by 
the  crew  and  were  repulsed.  While  the  natives  were 
preparing  to  renew  the  attack,  the  Captain  sent  for 
help  to  the  colony  agent.  Though  no  white  man  was 
there  in  charge,  help  was  promised.  A  boat  was 
manned  and  sent  to  his  relief;  a  brass  field  piece  on 
the  island  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  assailants 
who  were  put  to  rout,  with  two  killed  and  several 
wounded.  The  crew  and  slaves  were  brought  safely 
to  the  land,  but  the  vessel  went  to  pieces  and  most 
of  the  stores  and  property  were  lost.  The  natives  were 
very  angry.  The  next  day  they  resumed  the  attack, 
and  the  British  soldiers  and  one  colonist  were  killed. 
On  returning  from  Sierra  Leone,  April  7,  Ayres 
found  the  colony  in  confusion  and  alarm.  The  natives 
had  received  only  a  part  of  the  purchased  goods  for 
their  land.  They  now  refused  to  receive  the  balance 
and  insisted  on  returning  what  they  had  received  and 
annulling  the  transaction.  To  this  the  agent  would 
not  give  consent.  They  invited  him,  therefore,  to  a 
conference,  seized  him,  and  held  him  until  he  con- 
sented to  take  back  the  articles  already  paid.  They 
insisted  that  the  colonists  should  leave,  but  agreed 
to  permit  their  staying  until  a  purchase  could  be 
made  elsewhere.  Under  these  circumstances,  Agent 
Ayres  appealed  to  a  chief  named  Boatswain  who, 
after  hearing  the  complaint,  decided  in  favor  of  the 
colonists  and  ordered  that  the  goods  should  be  accepted 
and  the  title  given.  In  his  decision  he  said  that  the 
bargain  had  been  fair  on  both  sides  and  that  he  saw 
no  grounds  for  rescinding  the  contract.  Turning  to 
King  Peter,  he  remarked:  "Having  sold  your  coun- 
try and  accepted  payment,  you  must  take  the  con- 
sequences.    *     *     *     Let  the  Americans  have  their 


60  LIBERIA. 

lands  immediately.  Whoever  is  not  satisfied  with  my 
decision,  let  him  tell  me  so. ' '  To  the  agents  he  said : 
"I  promise  you  protection.  If  these  people  give  you 
further  disturbance,  send  for  me ;  and  I  swear,  if  they 
oblige  me  to  come  again  to  quiet  them,  I  will  do  it  by 
taking  their  heads  from  their  shoulders,  as  I  did  old 
King  George's,  on  my  last  visit  to  the  coast  to  settle 
disputes. ' ' 

By  the  28th  of  April  the  whole  colony  of  immigrants 
had  come  from  Sierra  Leone.  Dissatisfied  with  Per- 
severance Island,  they  had  moved  over  on  to  the  higher 
land  of  Cape  Montserrado  and  taken  formal  posses- 
sion of  it.  This  led  to  great  excitement.  There  was 
a  palaver  at  which  many  kings  and  half  kings  were 
present.  Difficulties,  however,  were  still  pressing. 
The  rainy  season  had  begun ;  the  houses  were  not  fit 
for  occupancy;  fever  was  prevalent  and  both  agents 
were  suffering;  provisions  and  stores  were  scanty — 
almost  exhausted ;  it  was  realized  that  hostility  on  the 
part  of  the  natives  was  but  slumbering.  Dr.  Ayres, 
discouraged,  determined  to  abandon  the  enterprise 
and  to  remove  the  people  and  the  remaining  stores  to 
Sierra  Leone.  Wiltberger  opposed  this  project,  and 
the  colonists  also  rejected  it.  A  small  number  indeed 
accompanied  Dr.  Ayres  to  Sierra  Leone.  The  re- 
mainder resolved  to  suffer  every  hardship,  remained, 
and  by  July  had  their  houses  in  fair  condition.  Soon, 
however,  Wiltberger  felt  compelled  to  return  to  the 
United  States.  There  was  no  white  man  to  leave  in 
charge  of  matters,  and  a  colonist,  Elijah  Johnson,  was 
appointed  temporary  superintendent. 

It  is  at  this  point  that  Jehudi  Ashmun  came  to 
Liberia.  He  was  a  remarkable  man,  and  to  him  the 
colonial  enterprise  owes  much.  He  was  born  April  21, 
1794 ;  he  studied  at  Middlebury  College  and  Vermont 
University ;  in  1816  he  was  principal  of  the  Maine 
Charity  School ;  in  1818  he  married  Miss  C.  D.  Gray, 
at  New  York  City;  resigning  his  principalship  on 
April  7,  1819,  he  removed  to  Washington  where,  for 
J;hree  years,  he  edited  the  Theological  Repository;  he 


HISTORY.  61 

here  thought  seriously  of  entering  the  ministry;  he 
wrote  the  Life  of  Samuel  Bacon,  who  had  died  for 
the  sake  of  the  colonial  enterprise ;  in  1822,  June  20th, 
he  embarked  upon  the  brig  Strong,  at  Baltimore,  hav- 
ing been  employed  to  accompany  a  cargo  of  returned 
Georgian  slaves.  Mrs.  Ashmun  accompanied  him; 
they  were  81  days  upon  the  voyage;  on  August  9th 
they  arrived  at  Cape  Montserrado.  When  Ashmun 
arrived,  a  small  spot  had  been  cleared,  about  thirty 
houses  had  been  constructed  in  native  style,  together 
with  a  storehouse  too  small  to  receive  the  supplies 
which  had  been  brought;  the  rainy  season  was  at 
its  height;  the  settlers  already  on  the  ground  were 
barely  supplied  with  shelter;  for  the  new-comers  no 
provision  had  been  made;  though  the  M^hole  country 
was  hostile,  there  were  no  adequate  means  of  defense ; 
the  total  population  of  the  settlement,  including  the 
new-comers,  did  not  exceed  130  persons,  of  whom 
thirty-five  only  were  capable  of  bearing  arms. 

It  was  a  desperate  situation;  the  erection  of  a 
storehouse  and  of  a  building  to  shelter  the  recaptured 
Africans  was  at  once  begun.  The  people  and  the  goods 
were  transferred  as  rapidly  as  possible  from  the  vessel 
to  the  shore.  On  September  15th,  less  than  six  weeks 
after  their  arrival,  Mrs.  Ashmun  died  of  fever,  and 
on  December  16th  Ashmun  himself  was  taken  down 
and  for  two  months  his  life  was  in  doubt;  it  was  not 
until  the  middle  of  February,  1823,  that  he  was  able 
to  resume  his  duties. 

Between  the  time  of  Mrs.  Ashmun 's  death  and 
Ashmun 's  illness,  troubles  with  the  natives  reached 
their  culmination.  Fortunately  the  danger  had  been 
foreseen  and  preparations  made.  Defensive  opera- 
tions began  on  August  18th.  The  plan  included  the 
clearing  of  a  considerable  space  around  the  settlement 
in  order  to  render  concealment  of  the  natives  difficult ; 
the  stationing  of  five  heavy  guns  at  the  angles  of  a 
triangle  circumscribing  the  whole  settlement,  each 
angle  being  on  a  point  sufficiently  commanding  to 
enfilade  two  sides  of  the  triangle  and  sweep  the  ground 


62  LIBERIA. 

beyond  the  lines ;  guns  to  be  covered  by  musket  proof ; 
triangular  stockades  any  two  of  which  should  be  suf- 
ficient to  contain  all  of  the  settlers  in  their  wings; 
the  brass  piece  and  two  swivels  mounted  on  traveling 
carriages  were  in  the  center  to  support  the  post  suf- 
fering heaviest  attacks; — all  to  be  joined  by  a  paling 
carried  quite  around  the  settlement.  Upon  inspecting 
the  matter  of  the  force,  it  was  found  that  there  were 
only  twenty-seven  native  Americans  able  to  bear 
arms,  when  well.  On  November  7th  it  was  found  that 
an  assault  had  been  ordered  within  four  days.  Picket 
guards  were  set ;  no  man  was  allowed  to  sleep  before 
sunrise ;  patrols  of  natives  were  dispersed  through  the 
wood  in  every  direction.  Trees  were  felled  in  order 
to  render  approach  more  difficult.  On  Sunday,  the 
10th,  it  was  reported  that  the  enemy  were  approach- 
ing, crossing  the  Mesurado  River  a  few  miles  above 
the  settlement.  Early  in  the  night  from  600  to  900 
of  them  had  assembled  on  the  peninsula  half  a  mile 
west,  where  they  encamped.  The  attack  itself  was 
made  at  early  dawn ;  it  was  vigorous,  and  at  first  the 
enemy  had  the  distinct  advantage ;  had  they  pressed 
it  instead  of  delaying  for  looting,  they  would  perhaps 
have  won  the  day;  as  it  was,  the  settlers  recovered 
themselves  and  gained  the  victory.  The  number  of 
the  hostile  dead  could  only  be  estimated ;  it  could 
hardly  have  been  less  than  200  persons;  the  colonists 
had  some  dead  and  several  wounded.  The  entire 
force  of  the  settlers  at  the  moment  of  the  combat  was 
thirty-five  individuals  of  whom  six  were  native  youths 
not  sixteen  years  of  age;  of  this  number  only 
about  one-half  were  actually  engaged  in  fighting. 
Lott  Carey  and  Elijah  Johnson  were  notable  for 
bravery  in  this  defense.  Attempts  were  made  to  bring 
about  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  enemy;  these  efforts 
were  ineffective,  and  it  was  well  known  that  a  new 
attack  might  be  expected.  Nothing  could  be  secured 
in  the  way  of  supplies  from  the  surrounding  country ; 
all  were  put  upon  an  allowance  of  provisions;  the 
ammunition  on  hand  was  insufficient  for  an  hour's 


HISTORY,  63 

defense ;  it  was  impossible  to  know  anything  about 
the  movement  of  the  enemy,  as  there  were  no  natives 
left  in  the  settlement.  Seven  children  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  native  foe.  November  23rd  was 
observed  as  a  day  of  humiliation,  thanksgiving,  and 
prayer.  Two  days  later  a  passing  steamer  was  able 
to  give  some  relief  in  stores.  On  the  29th  Capt.  Bras- 
sey,  aided  with  stores  and  by  his  influence,  which  was 
considerable,  tried  to  bring  about  a  peace  with  the 
hostile  chiefs.  It  was  in  vain ;  the  enemy  had  planned 
destruction  that  very  night,  but  delayed  the  attack 
on  account  of  his  presence  with  his  vessel.  Guard 
was  kept  the  night  of  the  29th,  the  30th,  December 
1st ;  the  attack  was  made  at  4 :30  in  the  morning  of  the 
2d  from  two  sides.  How  many  were  in  the  attacking 
force  is  not  known,  but  there  were  more  than  in  the 
first  great  battle ;  the  battle  lasted  for  more  than  an 
hour  and  a  half  and  was  most  obstinately  conducted ; 
the  loss  of  the  enemy,  though  considerable,  was  less 
than  in  the  preceding  battle ;  one  of  the  gunners  of 
the  colonists  was  killed.  Conditions  were  so  desperate 
that  a  renewal  of  the  battle  the  following  day  might 
have  proved  fatal  to  the  settlers.  A  seeming  accident 
brought  deliverance.  An  officer  on  watch,  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  is  said  to  have  been  alarmed  by 
some  slight  noise ;  on  hearing  it,  he  discharged  several 
muskets  and  a  large  gun.  At  that  moment  the 
schooner  Prince  Regent  was  passing;  the  well  known 
Major  Laing  was  aboard,  and  a  prize  crew  of  eleven 
seamen  commanded  by  Midshipman  Gordon ;  they 
were  on  their  way  to  Cape  Coast  Castle,  but,  hearing 
midnight  cannon,  anchored  in  order  to  investigate 
with  morning's  light;  Avhen  they  found  the  condition 
of  things,  Capt.  Laing  intervened  in  behalf  of  the 
colonists  and  brought  about  a  truce ;  the  chiefs  agreed 
to  refer  matters  of  dispute,  which  might  thereafter 
arise,  to  Sierra  Leone  for  settlement.  Midshipman 
Gordon  and  his  eleven  men  were  left  behind  to  assist 
the  colonists  in  case  of  need,  and  a  plentiful  supply  of 
ammunition  was  given  them.     Gordon  was  a  great 


64  LIBERIA. 

favorite  with  the  settlers;  he  was,  however,  together 
with  his  companions,  quickly  taken  down  with  fever, 
and  within  four  weeks  he  and  seven  out  of  his  eleven 
men  were  dead. 

We  have  already  stated  that  seven  children  of  the 
colonists  had  been  captured  by  the  enemy.  Ashmun 
tells  US:  "Two  of  the  captured  children  have  been 
given  up  in  consideration  of  a  small  gratuity.  Five 
are  still  in  the  hands  of  the  natives ;  for  their  relief  a 
very  extravagant  ransom  was  demanded  which  it  was 
steadily  resolved  not  to  pay  .  .  .  redeeming  trait 
.  .  .  in  their  treatment  of  these  helpless  and  tender 
captives.  It  was  the  first  object  of  the  captors  to  place 
them  under  the  maternal  care  of  several  aged  women, 
who,  in  Africa,  as  in  most  countries,  are  proverbially 
tender  and  indulgent.  These  protectresses  had  them 
clad  in  their  usual  habits  and  at  an  early  period  of  the 
truce,  sent  to  the  colony  to  inquire  the  proper  kinds 
of  food,  and  modes  of  preparing  it.  to  which  the 
youngest  had  been  accustomed.  The  affections  of  their 
little  charges  were  so  perfectly  won  in  the  four  months 
of  their  captivity  as  to  oblige  their  own  parents,  at 
the  end  of  that  time,  literally  to  tear  away  from  their 
keepers  several  of  the  youngest  amidst  the  most  affec- 
tionate demonstrations  of  mutual  attachment.  This 
event  did  not  occur  until  the  12th  of  March,  when 
their  gratuitous  redemption  was  voted  almost  unan- 
imously in  a  large  council  of  native  chiefs." 

We  have  referred  to  Elijah  Johnson.  He  was  an 
extraordinary  man.  His  parentage  is  quite  unknown ; 
June  11,  1789,  he  was  taken  to  New  Jersey;  he  had 
had  some  instruction,  gained  perhaps  in  New  York; 
by  religion  he  was  a  methodist  and  had  studied  for 
the  ministry ;  he  had  had  some  experience  in  military 
life  in  New  Jersey,  New  York,  and  Massachusetts ;  he 
had  fought  in  the  war  of  1812  against  the  British ; 
he  came  to  Africa  with  the  first  colony  of  emigrants 
in  1820;  in  1822  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
settlement  at  Cape  Montserrado;  when  Ayres  pro- 
posed the  abandonment  of  the  enterprise,  he  vigor- 


HISTORY,  65 

ously  opposed  him,  and  his  influence  had  much  to  do 
with  holding  his  fellow  colonists ;  to  the  British  cap- 
tain who,  on  the  occasion  of  a  difficulty,  offered  to  quell 
the  trouble  with  the  natives  if  he  be  given  ground  for 
the  erection  of  a  flag,  Johnson  is  said  to  have  replied, 
"We  want  no  flagstaff  put  up  here,  that  will  cost  us 
more  to  get  it  down  than  it  will  to  whip  the  natives. ' ' 
When  Wiltberger  left  the  colony  entirely  to  itself, 
it  was  Johnson  who  was  put  in  charge ;  his  son,  born 
in  Africa,  became  President  of  the  Republic;  Elijah 
Johnson  died  March  23,  1849. 

March  31,  1823,  the  United  States  ship,  Cyane, 
Capt.  Spencer,  reached  Cape  Montserrado.  Finding 
the  colonists  in  bad  condition,  the  Captain  supplied 
their  wants;  he  repaired  the  agent's  house,  com- 
menced and  nearly  completed  the  Martello  tower — for 
defense ;  after  three  weeks '  assistance  so  much  fever 
had  sprung  up  among  his  crew  that  he'  was  obliged 
to  depart,  sailing  for  the  United  States.  He,  however, 
left  behind  as  helper,  Eichard  Seaton,  his  chief  clerk. 
Seaton  assisted  Ashmun  and  the  colonists  so  far  as  he 
could  but  was  himself  stricken  by  fever  and  died  in 
June.  On  May  24th  the  Oswego  arrived  with  sixty- 
one  new  colonists;  the  agent,  Dr.  A^/res,  w4io  seems 
to  have  thought  better  of  matters,  returned  by  this 
vessel.  About  this  time,  however,  the  whole  com- 
munity was  rife  with  intrigue  and  rebellion ;  the  set- 
tlers were  dissatisfied  with  their  situation ;  they  were 
particularly  dissatisfied  with  the  distribution  of  land 
about  which  misunderstanding  had  arisen.  The  steps 
Ayres  took  for  bringing  about  peace  were  not  suc- 
cessful, and  in  December  he  left  again  for  the  United 
States. 

It  was  on  February  20,  1824,  that  the  official  names 
of  Liberia  for  the  colony  and  Monrovia  for  the  settle- 
ment on  Cape  Montserrado  were  adopted  on  recom- 
mendation of  General  Harper.  Previous  to  this  time 
the  settlement  had  been  known  by  the  name  Christ- 
opolis.  Things  at  Christopolis  had  been  going  badly. 
Even  Ashmun  could  no  longer  get  on  with  the  set- 

6. 


66  LIBERIA. 

tiers;  perhaps  it  would  be  as  true  to  say  that  even 
the  settlers  could  not  get  on  with  Ashmun.  However 
that  may  be,  on  March  22nd  he  issued  a  farewell 
address  in  which  he  expressed  his  feelings  in  regard 
to  the  disaffected,  and  on  April  1st  he  embarked  for 
the  Cape  Verde  Islands.  There  is  no  reason  to  be- 
lieve, so  far  as  I  know,  that  he  had  any  intention  of 
returning  again  to  his  field  of  labor.  He  had  had  a 
most  unsatisfactory  and  disagreeable  correspondence 
with  the  Society,  and  his  tenure  of  office  with  them 
was  vague  and  unsatisfactory;  they  had  refused  to 
recognize  some  of  his  official  acts  and  conditions  could 
hardly  have  been  more  disagreeable  than  they  were 
at  the  moment. 

Rev.  R.  R.  Gurley  had  been  ordered  by  the  Society 
to  visit  Africa  and  investigate  conditions  at  the 
colony.  On  July  24th  the  Porpoise,  which  was  carry- 
ing him  to  Monrovia,  put  in  at  Porto  Praya  where 
Ashmun  was  stopping;  he  went  on  board  to  meet 
Gurley,  and  there  they  had  their  first  conversation 
over  the  state  of  affairs ;  Ashmun  consented  to  return 
to  Monrovia  and  assist  Gurley  in  getting  a  general 
knowledge  of  conditions.  Together  they  reached  Mon- 
rovia on  August  13th;  Gurley  stayed  until  August 
22nd;  the  two  men  went  over  the  details  of  the 
situation,  held  consultations  with  the  settlers,  and 
drew  up  a  plan  of  government  more  definite  than 
had  before  existed,  and  which  the  discontented  set- 
tlers agreed  to  accept. 

After  Gurley  had  departed  conditions  at  the  colony 
greatly  improved ;  the  new  laws  and  the  participa- 
tion of  the  colonists  in  their  own  government  had  an 
excellent  effect;  every  one  appeared  loyal  and  all 
united  to  advance  the  common  interests.  New  lands 
were  acquired  in  the  neighborhood  of  Grand  Bassa, 
New  Cess,  Cape  Mount,  and  Junk  River.  In  1826 
difficulties  arose  with  the  slave  traders  at  Trade  Town, 
about  100  miles  south  from  Monrovia.  Ashmun  had 
remonstrated  against  their  operations.  In  reply  the 
French  and  Spanish  traders  proceeded  to  strengthen 


HISTORY.  67 

themselves;  the  traders  were  organized  and  some  350 
natives  were  under  their  command.  Ashmun  decided 
to  take  vigorous  action  against  them.  On  April  9th 
the-  Columbian  war  vessel,  Jacinto,  arrived  at  Mon- 
rovia with  orders  to  co-operate  with  Dr.  Peaco,  the 
United  States  Government  agent,  and  Mr.  Ashmun; 
on  April  10th  Ashmun  and  thirty-two  militia  volun- 
teers embarked  upon  the  Jacinto,  and  the  Indian 
Chief  (Capt.  Cochrane),  and  sailed  for  Trade  Town 
where  they  arrived  on  the  11th,  finding  the  Columbian 
vessel  Vencedor,  there,  ready  to  assist  them.  The 
three  vessels  united  in  the  attack,  attempting  to  make 
a  landing  on  the  morning  of  the  12th ;  the  surf  was 
breaking  heavily  over  the  bar  and  the  passage  was 
only  eight  yards  wide  with  rocks  on  both  sides.  The 
barges,  full  of  armed  men,  were  in  great  danger; 
the  Spanish  force  was  drawn  up  on  the  beach  within 
half  a  gunshot  of  the  barges;  the  two  barges  with 
Captains  Chase  and  Cottrell  were  exposed  to  the 
enemy's  fire  and  filled  with  surf  before  reaching  the 
shore;  their  crews,  however,  landed  and  forced  the 
Spaniards  back  to  the  town.  The  flagboat  with  Ash- 
mun and  Capt.  Cochrane  and  twenty-four  men  was 
upset  and  dashed  upon  the  rocks;  Ashmun  was  in- 
jured ;  some  arms  and  ammunition  were  lost.  Capt. 
Barbour,  observing  the  difficulties  encountered  by  the 
other  boats,  ran  his  boat  on  to  the  beach  a  little  to  the 
left  of  the  river's  mouth,  and  landed  safely.  The  town 
was  captured;  the  natives  and  Spaniards  took  to  the 
forest,  and  from  behind  the  town  poured  in  shot 
at  frequent  intervals;  the  contest  continued  through 
two  days;  more  than  80  slaves  were  surrendered,  but 
no  actual  adjustment  of  the  difficulties  was  arrived 
at.  At  noon  of  the  13th,  preparations  were  made  to 
leave;  the  slaves  were  first  embarked,  and  in  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon,  the  town  having  been  fired, 
the  officers  took  to  the  boats ;  before  the  vessel  sailed 
the  fire  reached  the  ammunition  of  the  enemy,  and  250 
casks  of  gunpowder  were  exploded ;  Trade  Town  was 
wiped  out,  and  the  victorious  party  returned  to  Mon- 


68  LIBERIA. 

rovia.  It  was  indeed  only  a  temporary  solution  of  the 
difficulty;  by  the  end  of  July  slaving  vessels  were 
again  at  Trade  Town,  a  battery  had  been  constructed, 
and  preparations  made  to  resist  any  force  that  might 
in  future  be  sent  against  it. 

On  August  27,  1827,  the  Norfolk  arrived  with  142 
recaptured  slaves ;  this  was  the  largest  shipment  of  the 
kind  so  far  sent.  The  policy  was  adopted  of  settling 
such  Africans  in  settlements  by  themselves  at  a  little 
distance  from  Monrovia,  on  lands  well  suited  to  agri- 
culture ;  it  is  remarkable  how  readily  these  poor  crea- 
tures took  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered 
them;  they  were  industrious,  established  neat  settle- 
ments, cultivated  fields,  and  were  anxious  to  learn  the 
ways  of  the  "white  man";  as,  however,  they  repre- 
sented different  tribes,  occasional  difficulties  arose 
among  them  through  tribal  jealousies,  and  adjust- 
ment was  necessary  at  the  hands  of  the  civilized 
colonists. 

Ashmun's  health  had  long  been  bad;  the  injuries 
he  suffered  in  the  attack  at  Trade  Town  had  been 
somewhat  serious;  he  had,  moreover,  been  subjected 
to  a  constant  strain  of  anxiety,  together  with  responsi- 
bility ;  he  had  been  doing  the  work  of  several  men ; 
his  condition  finally  became  critical,  and  he  decided 
that  he  must  leave  the  colony.  Whatever  feeling 
might  have  existed  at  one  time  against  him,  he  was 
now  a  much  loved  man ;  in  losing  him.  the  colonists 
felt  as  if  they  lost  a  father;  he  embarked  on  March 
25th  for  the  United  States ;  he  reached  his  native  land 
in  a  condition  of  extreme  exhaustion  and  weakness; 
on  August  25th  he  died  at  New  Haven,  Conn.  There 
was  no  white  man  in  the  colony  at  the  time  when 
Ashmun  left  to  whom  he  could  turn  over  the  leader- 
ship of  the  settlement;  he  accordingly  placed  affairs 
in  the  hands  of  Lott  Carey. 

Lott  Carey  Avas  a  remarkable  black  man;  he  was 
born  a  slave  near  Kichmond,  Va.,  about  1780;  in  his 
early  manhood  he  was  rather  wild ;  in  1804  he  went 
to  Richmond  where  he  worked  for  a  tobacco  com- 


HISTORY.  69 

pany;  becomiug  converted  in  1807,  lie  joined  the 
Jiaptist  Church;  he  learned  to  read  and  write,  and 
preached  among  his  people;  he  was  well  considered 
by  his  employers  and  earned  $800  a  year  as  a  regular 
salary,  besides  frequently  making  additional  sums 
by  legitimate  outside  labor;  by  carefully  saving  his 
money,  he  raised  $850,  ransoming  himself  and  two 
children ;  his  wife  had  died  in  1813 ;  becoming  inter- 
ested in  African  missions,  he  took  to  preaching,  organ- 
ized a  missionary  society,  and  through  it  raised  con- 
tributions for  the  cause;  he  had  married  again,  and 
learning  of  the  Liberian  scheme,  early  becoming  in- 
terested, and  decided  to  go  to  Africa;  on  January 
23,  1821,  he  left  Richmond  for  the  colony;  he  was  a 
most  useful  man — active  in  church  work,  interested 
in  school  affairs,  instructing  the  recaptured  Africans, 
aiding  in  the  care  of  the  sick  and  suffering;  he  had 
been  of  the  disaffected,  but  after  difficulties  had  been 
adjusted,  was  a  firm  friend  and  supporter  of  Ashmun. 
When  left  in  charge  of  the  colony,  he  actively  pushed 
on  in  every  line  of  progress,  dealing  fairly  with  the 
natives,  arranging  for  defense,  encouraging  develop- 
ment, etc.  In  June,  when  three  suspicious  Spanish 
vessels  stood  off  the  harbor,  he  lost  no  time  in  dealing 
with  them,  ordering  them  away  at  once.  Trouble, 
however,  was  arising  with  the  natives.  A  factory  be- 
longing to  the  colony  at  Digby  had  been  robbed; 
satisfaction  had  been  demanded  and  refused;  a  slave 
trader  was  allov/ed  to  land  goods  in  the  very  house 
where  the  colony  goods  had  been;  a  letter  of  remon- 
strance to  the  trader  was  intercepted  and  destroyed 
by  the  natives.  Lott  Carey  called  out  the  militia 
and  began  to  make  arrangements  for  a  show  of  force ; 
on  the  evening  of  November  8th,  while  he  and  several 
others  were  making  cartridges  in  the  old  agency- 
house,  a  candle  caught  some  loose  powder  and  caused 
an  explosion  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  eight 
persons;  six  of  these  survived  until  the  9th,  Lott 
Carey  and  one  other  until  the  10th.  With  his  death 
the  settlement  was  left  without  a  head.     Shortly  be- 


70  LIBERIA. 

fore  that  sad  event,  however, — on  October  28,  1828, 
a  new  constitution  and  laws,  suggested  by  Ashmun 
shortly  before  his  death,  had  been  adopted  by  the 
Colonization  Society  and  been  put  into  operation. 
It  was  in  every  way  an  advance  upon  the  previous 
efforts  to  organize  the  administration  of  the  colony, 
and  it  may  be  said  to  mark  a  period  in  the  colonial 
history. 


"Instead  of  repenting  that  I  am  here,  although  I  was  well 
treated  in  Georgia,  I  would  not  return  to  live  in  the  United 
States  for  five  thousand  dollars.  There  is  scarcely  a  thinking 
person  here  but  would  feel  insulted,  if  you  should  talk  to  him 
about  returning.  The  people  are  now  turning  their  attention  to 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  are  beginning  to  live  within 
their  own  means." — S.  Benedict. 

1828—1838. 

Richard  Randall,'  the  newly  appointed  agent, 
arrived  at  Monrovia  on  December  22,  1828.  He  found 
the  Digby  incident  still  unsettled.  King  Brister  (or 
Bristol)  had  been  threatening.  Randall  thought  it 
best,  however,  not  to  pursue  active  warfare  and 
attempted  to  adjust  matters  without  fighting.  He  was 
a  man  of  excellent  ideas,  devoted  to  his  duties,  active 
and  energetic.  He  was  imprudent,  however,  in  caring 
for  himself,  and  died  on  April  19th,  having  been  in  the 
colony  only  about  four  months.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Dr.  Mechlin  who  had  come  out  with  him  as  physi- 
cian in  December.  Mechlin  remained  as  agent  for 
some  years,  although,  on  account  of  bad  health,  he  was 
obliged  to  return  once  during  that  period  to  the 
United  States.  It  was  during  his  agency  that  the 
first  printing  press  was  erected  in  Monrovia,  in  1830, 
and  the  first  newspaper,  The  Liherian  Herald,  was 
printed  with  J,  B.  Russwurm  as  editor.  It  was  in 
1830  that  Mechlin  took  his  furlough  to  the  United 
States;  he  was  at  first  relieved  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Ander- 
son who  died  on  April  12th,  having  been  in  Liberia 
less  than  two  months ;  upon  his  death,  the  vice-agent, 
Anthony  D.  Williams,  took  charge  until  the  return 
of  Dr.  Mechlin.  Mechlin  negotiated  several  treaties 
with  native  chiefs  and  increased  the  land  holding 
of  the  colony  through  purchase;  he  visited  Grand 
Bassa  and  negotiated  for  land  around  Cape  Mount ;  it 

71 


72  LIBERIA. 

was  during  his  administration  that  the  Dey-Golah 
War  took  place.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  well-mean- 
ing man,  and  certainly  accomplished  something,  but 
there  was  considerable  dissatisfaction  with  his  admin- 
istration, and  when  he  left,  it  was  questioned  whether 
he  was  a  good  financier  and  used  judgment  and  econ- 
omy in  administering  money  matters. 

One  of  the  most  exciting  incidents  in  the  history  of 
Liberia  was  the  Dey-Golah  War  of  1832.  Hostilities 
had  been  threatened  against  the  colony  by  King  Brom- 
ley, but  he  died  before  serious  difficulty  occurred. 
It  was  soon  found  that  the  Deys  and  others  were  com- 
bining; deeds  of  violence  were  practiced  against  the 
colonists  and  recaptured  Africans;  captives  had  been 
taken  by  King  Willy ;  a  messenger  was  sent  to  demand 
their  release,  but  the  letter  was  torn  up  and  the 
messenger  told  to  inform  the  agent  that  they  would 
seize  and  hold  every  colonist  they  could  find.  The 
next  day  the  enemy,  standing  on  the  river  bank 
opposite  Caldwell,  blew  war  horns,  fired  muskets,  and 
challenged  the  colonists;  a  body  of  recaptured  Afri- 
cans, 100  in  number,  was  sent  against  them;  finding 
a  large  force  gathered,  they  were  driven  back,  and  one 
man  was  killed.  The  enemy  barricaded  their  own 
town,  and  sent  word  that,  if  the  colonists  did  not 
promptly  meet  them  in  the  field,  they  would  attack 
Caldwell  and  Millsburg;  the  Golah  were  acting  with 
the  Dey  in  this  affair.  Mechlin  left  Monrovia  on  June 
20th,  with  the  regular  militia  and  volunteers,  eighty 
in  all;  they  had  a  large  field  piece  with  them;  at 
Caldwell  they  were  joined  by  seventy  volunteers  and 
militia,  and  120  recaptured  Africans ;  all  were  placed 
under  Capt.  Elijah  Johnson.  One  day's  march  from 
Caldwell  brought  the  force  to  Bromley's  town  which 
they  took  without  trouble,  camping  there  for  the 
night;  the  next  day  they  advanced  over  an  exceed- 
ingly difficult  road — seven  hours  being  required  for 
ten  miles'  progress;  after  mid-day  the  recaptured 
Africans,  who  were  in  advance,  were  engaged  with  the 
enemy;   the  field  piece  was  brought  up  until  only 


HISTORY.  73 

twenty-five  or  thirty  yards  from  the  barricaded  town. 
A  few  firings  forced  the  enemy  to  abandon  their 
position ;  under  cover  of  the  field  piece,  the  colonists 
now  rushed  forward  and  cut  through  the  barricade; 
the  field  piece  was  advanced  and  the  town  captured, 
the  enemy  escaping  in  the  rear.  In  this  engagement 
Lieutenant  Thompson,  of  the  colony  force,  was  killed 
and  three  men  wounded;  of  the  enemy  fifteen  were 
killed  and  many  wounded.  The  captured  town  was 
burned  and  also  Bromley ;  the  force  returned  to  Cald- 
well for  the  night  and  then  to  Monrovia.  Lieutenant 
Thompson  was  interred  with  the  honors  of  war. 
Messengers  promptly  arrived  from  Kings  Willy 
and  Brister;  Mechlin  demanded  that  the  kings  them- 
selves appear  in  person  at  IMonrovia ;  Brister,  Sitma, 
Long  Peter,  and  Kai  appeared ;  Willy  sent  New 
Peter  as  his  representative ;  they  agreed  to  the  terms 
offered  and  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed. 

It  was  also  during  Mechlin's  agency  that  the  colon- 
ization of  Maryland  in  Africa  began.  In  1831  Dr. 
James  Hall  with  31  colonists  from  the  Maryland 
Colonization  Society  stopped  at  Monrovia ;  they  had 
been  sent  out  to  locate  a  settlement  where  the  colon- 
ists should  devote  themselves  exclusively  to  agricul- 
ture (refusing  trade)  and  should  be  devoted  to  tem- 
perance principles;  they  were  not  received  with  cor- 
diality by  the  people  at  Monrovia,  and  no  particular 
inclination  was  shown  to  aid  them  in  securing  a  site 
for  their  purposes;  Dr.  Hall,  therefore,  left  them 
temporarily  at  Monrovia,  while  he  returned  to  the 
United  States  for  advice  and  further  supplies;  he 
returned  in  1833  with  28  new  colonists ;  taking  those 
who  were  at  Monrovia,  all  sailed  farther  down  the 
coast  until,  at  Cape  Palmas,  they  found  a  location  to 
their  satisfaction ;  they  landed  there,  engaged  in 
negotiations  with  the  native  chiefs,  and  founded  what 
was  at  first  known  as  Maryland  in  Africa;  it  was 
entirely  distinct  from  the  settlements  under  the 
direction  of  the  American  Colonization  Society. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  tendency   for  local 


74  LIBERIA. 

branch  organizations  of  the  American  Colonization 
Society  to  be  formed  and  to  undertake  their  own  set- 
tlements, although  these  were  not  considered  to  be 
actually  independent  of  the  mother  society  and  of  the 
people  at  Monrovia.  Considerable  settlements  had 
been  made  in  the  neighborhood  of  Grand  Bassa. 
Among  these,  one  of  the  most  promising  was  Edina 
which  was  laid  out  upon  a  tongue  of  land  upon  the 
north  side  of  the  St.  John's  River ;  it  was  named  Edina 
from  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  citizens  of  which  had  con- 
tributed quite  liberally  to  the  funds  of  the  American 
Colonization  Society.  After  Edina  was  founded,  a 
neighboring  settlement  was  made  through  the  efforts 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Young  Men's  Colonization 
Society — an  organization  of  Friends ;  it  was  organized 
with  the  idea  that  agriculture  should  be  the  chief  in- 
terest; that  trade  as  a  means  of  income  should  be 
forbidden;  that  temperance  and  sobriety,  involving 
a  pledge  of  abstinence,  should  be  demanded;  and 
that  war  and  resistance  should  be  forbidden.  Non- 
resistance  and  peace-principles,  howev-er,  were  not  in 
place  at  that  time  and  region;  in  1835  this  little 
colony  was  wiped  out  of  existence  by  a  brutal  attack 
on  the  part  of  natives  instigated  by  a  slave  trader 
who  feared  that  the  presence  of  the  colonists  would 
interrupt  his  trade.  Joe  Harris  and  King  Peter, 
brothers,  were  the  active  agents  of  destruction;  for 
several  days  their  people  spied  upon  the  settlers,  in- 
forming themselves  whether  any  arms  were  in  the 
place ;  there  was  one  gun  only  there ;  the  assault  took 
place  at  night,  and  about  20  persons,  mostly  women 
and  children,  were  killed;  the  agent  Hankinson  and 
his  wife  were  rescued  by  a  Kruman  who  concealed 
them ;  those  who  escaped  were  taken  to  Monrovia  and 
cared  for ;  the  authorities  at  Monrovia  took  immediate 
action,  marched  an  armed  force  against  the  aggres- 
sors, put  them  to  flight,  and  destroyed  their  towns; 
King  Peter  and  Joe  Harris  agreed  to  forever  abandon 
the  slave  trade,  to  give  free  passage  from  the  interior 
through  their  country,  to  rebuild  the  settlement,  and 


HISTORY.  75 

return  the  property;  a  better  spot  was  selected  and 
a  new  settlement  made. 

When  Mechlin  returned  to  the  United  States,  Rev. 
John  B.  Pinney,  who  was  already  in  Liberia  as  a 
missionary,  succeeded  him.  He  found  everything  in  a 
state  of  confusion  and  dilapidation ;  himself  a  man  of 
vigor,  he  acted  promptly  and  made  notable  improve- 
ments; he  attempted  to  give  agriculture  its  proper 
position  as  the  fundamental  interest  of  the  commu- 
nity ;  he  purchased  fertile  lands  in  the  interior  for  cul- 
tivation ;  he  emphasized  the  claims  of  Liberia  to  lands 
lying  behind  Cape  Mount ;  he  adjusted  difficulties  be- 
tween the  Congoes  and  Eboes,  recaptured  Africans; 
had  he  remained  long  in  office,  he  might  perhaps  have 
accomplished  much.  He,  however,  left  Liberia  at  the 
end  of  1834  for  home.  Dr.  Ezekiel  Skinner  took  his 
position ;  at  the  time  of  Pinney 's  retirement  he  was 
the  colonial  physician.  His  labors  were  arduous  and 
multiform;  in  performing  them  he  suffered  repeated 
exposures  which  brought  on  a  serious  fever  under 
which  he  was  reduced  so  low  that  he  was  obliged  to 
return  to  the  United  States,  leaving  Anthony  D.  Wil- 
liams as  agent  in  his  place. 

Williams,  in  fact,  seems  to  have  been  agent  at  in- 
tervals from  the  time  of  Randall's  death  until  he 
gave  way  to  Thomas  Buchanan  in  1839.  Inasmuch 
as  most  authorities  speak  of  him  as  if  he  were  a  white 
man,  it  may  be  well  to  raise  the  question.  Late  in 
November,  1836,  Rev.  Charles  Rockwell,  chaplain  of 
the  United  States  Navy,  was  in  Liberia.  In  his 
Sketches  of  Foreign  Travel  he  says:  "Mr.  Williams, 
who  has  for  years  been  the  acting-governor  of  Mon- 
rovia, took  the  lead  in  entertaining  us  and  in  doing 
the  honors  of  the  place.  He  was  from  Petersburg, 
Va.,  where,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  was  once  a  slave.  He 
has  a  peculiarly  modest,  sedate,  gentlemanly  deport- 
ment, and  during  his  repeated  visits  to  the  United 
States  has,  by  his  intelligent  and  good  sense,  justly 
secured  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  those  with  whom 
he  had  intercourse.     He  came  to  Africa  as  a  clergy- 


76  LIBERIA. 

man  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  for  a  year  or  more 
was  engaged  in  the  self-denying  work  of  a  missionary 
among  the  natives  at  a  distance  of  150  miles  in  the 
interior.  Under  the  title  of  vice-agent,  he  has  for 
years  been  head  (actively)  of  the  colony,  and  as  far 
as  I  could  learn,  has  so  discharged  the  duties  of  his 
office  as  to  secure  the  confidence  alike  of  his  fellow 
citizens  and  of  the  society  from  which  he  received  his 
appointment."  When,  in  1839,  he  gave  up  the  agency 
to  Thomas  Buchanan  as  Governor  of  the  newly  es- 
tablished Commonwealth  of  Liberia,  the  Board  of  the 
Colonization  Society  expressed  itself  as  well  satisfied 
with  his  long  services;  but  it  w^as  their  opinion  "that 
the  time  had  not  yet  arrived  when  the  interests  of  the 
colony  would  permit  it  to  remain  permanently  under 
the  direction  of  a  colonist."  It  would  seem  as  if 
these  two  quotations  amply  establish  the  fact  that 
Williams  was  a  colored  man ;  we  have  thought  it 
worth  while  to  raise  the  question,  inasmuch  as  his 
services  were  serious,  and  if  rendered  by  a  black  man, 
deserve  special  recognition. 

With  the  year  1836  there  arrived  in  Africa  a  man 
of  great  ability  and  extraordinary  energy,  Thomas 
H.  Buchanan ;  he  was  sent  out  as  the  agent  of  the 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania  Societies  to  take  charge 
of  their  settlements  at  Bassa  Cove;  these  settlements 
recognized  the  superior  authority  of  Monrovia  and 
the  American  Colonization  Society ;  but  it  was  deemed 
better  that  they  should  have  a  special  superintendent 
in  charge  of  them.  It  is  well  enough  to  notice  that, 
at  this  time,  there  were  three  totally  different  associa- 
tions at  work  within  the  area  of  what  now  is  Liberia, 
besides  Maryland ;  there  was  the  original  settlement 
of  Monrovia  on  Cape  Montserrado  with  extensions  in 
the  direction  of  Cape  Mount  and  the  Junk  River ;  this 
district  included  Monrovia  and  several  villages  around 
it;  "the  people  were  not  much  given  to  agriculture; 
they  were  shrewd  at  driving  trade  and  better  liked 
to  compete  for  some  gallons  of  palm  oil  or  sticks  of 
camwood  than  to  be  doing  their  duty  to  their  fields 


HISTORY.  77 

and  gardens ; ' '  politics  and  military  concerns  occupied 
considerable  of  their  attention,  and  they  were  called 
upon  to  adjust  claims  with  the  neighboring  settle- 
ments. Secondly,  there  were  the  Bassa  Cove  villages ; 
there  were  several  of  these  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
St.  John's  River;  they  depended  mainly  upon  agri- 
culture and  trade;  they  encouraged  temperance  and 
desired  peace.  Third,  there  were  interesting  settle- 
ments in  Sinoe  along  the  Sinoe  River  upon  its  rich 
agricultural  lands ;  Greenville  was  a  flourishing  town ; 
the  settlers  in  this  vicinity  came  from  Mississippi, 
and  their  region  was  known  as  Mississippi  in  Africa. 

Just  as  the  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  Societies 
engaged  a  special  governor  to  take  charge  of  their 
settlements,  so  the  Mississippi  Society  sent  out  a  spe- 
cial governor  to  take  charge  of  Mississippi  in  Africa. 
The  appointment  was  of  special  interest  in  the  person 
of  I.  F.  C.  Finley.  Governor  Finley  was  a  son  of 
the  Rev.  Robert  Finley,  to  whom  the  organization 
of  the  American  Colonization  Society  was  in  reality 
due.  In  September,  1838,  Governor  Finley  left  for 
Monrovia  on  business  as  well  as  for  his  health ;  making 
a  landing  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Bassa  Cove 
settlements,  he  was  robbed  and  murdered  by  the 
natives  on  September  10th;  it  is  believed  that 
the  motive  to  this  murder  was  the  desire  for  gain, 
as  the  Governor  had  considerable  money  upon  his 
person.  The  murder  led  io  disturbance  between  the 
settlers  at  Bassa  Cove  and  the  natives '.who  were  im- 
plicated ;  one  or  two  of  the  latter  were  killed,  several 
wounded,  and  some  houses  were  destroyed. 

One  rather  interesting  incident  in  connection  with 
the  Bassa  settlements  was  the  experience  of  Louis 
Sheriden.  He  was  a  colored  man  of  some  means  from 
North  Carolina,  who  came  to  Liberia  in  February, 
1838 ;  he  at  first  planned  to  settle  at  Bassa  Cove,  but 
on  visiting  the  settlements  and  examining  the  laws 
of  their  government,  he  was  dissatisfied  and  refused 
to  take  the  oath  required  of  those  who  became  citi- 
zens, saying  that  he  had  "left  the  United  States  on 


78  I.IBERIA. 

account  of  oppression  and  that  he  would  not  subject 
himself  to  arbitrary  government  in  Africa";  he 
finally  decided  to  locate  at  Bexley,  six  miles  from 
Bassa  Cove;  he  took  a  lease  of  600  acres  and  soon 
had  more  tlian  a  hundred  men  in  his  employ;  his 
intention  was  to  develop  an  extensive  sugar  and  coffee 
plantation,  but  he  died  before  his  plan  could  be 
realized. 

An  interesting  man  in  this  period,  although  but 
indirectly  connected  with  the  colony,  was  Theodore 
Ganot ;  he  was  born  in  Florence  in  1803  and  had  a  life 
of  excitement  and  adventure ;  in  1826  he  became  a 
slave  trader;  he  finally  located  with  Pedro  Blanco  at 
Gallinhas,  and  was  sent  by  him  to  New  Cess ;  he  was 
a  witness  of  the  Finley  murder;  after  Blanco  retired 
from  the  slave  trade,  Canot,  being  hard  pressed  by 
the  British  officers,  decided  to  abandon  the  business 
also.  He  finally  retired  to  New  York,  where  he  met 
with  Brantz  Mayer,  who  wrote  a  book  which  pur- 
ported to  be  autobiographical  material  supplied  by 
the  old  adventurer.  Canot  not  infrequently  came 
into  contact  with  the  Liberian  authorities.  He  must 
have  known  the  whole  colonial  experiment  better  than 
almost  any  other  white  man.  Of  Liberia  he  says: 
"Nevertheless,  the  prosperity,  endurance,  and  influ- 
ence of  the  colonies  are  still  problems.  I  am  anxious 
to  see  the  second  generation  of  colonists  in  Africa.  I 
wish  to  know  what  will  be  the  force  and  development 
of  the  negro  mind  on  its  native  soil — civilized,  but  cut 
off  from  all  instruction,  influence,  or  association  with 
the  white  mind.  I  desire  to  understand,  precisely, 
whether  the  negro 's  faculties  are  original  or  imitative, 
and  consequently,  whether  he  can  stand  alone  in  ab- 
solute independence,  or  is  only  respectable  when 
reflecting  the  civilization  that  is  cast  upon  him  by 
others. ' ' 

As  was  to  be  expected,  considerable  feeling  arose 
between  the  four  separate  colonies — Liberia,  Bassa 
Cove,  Mississippi  in  Africa,  and  Maryland.  Thus,  in 
May,  1838,  Anthony  D.  Williams  wrote :    I  regret  to 


HISTORY.  79 

say,  our  neighlx)rs  of  Bassa  Cove  and  Edina  seem  to 
entertain  the  most  hostile  feelings  toward  the  colony 
and  everything  connected  with  it.  They  have  mani- 
fested such  a  disposition  as  will,  if  continued,  lead 
to  serious  difficulties  between  the  settlements.  The 
policy  which  the  colonizationists  are  now  pursuing  is 
assuredly  a  bad  one  and  will  inevitably  defeat  the 
object  they  aim  to  accomplish.  Nothing  can  be  con- 
ceived more  destructive  to  the  general  good  than  sep- 
arate and  conflicting  interests  among  the  different 
colonies,  and  this  consequence  will  certainly  follow 
the  establishment  of  separate  and  distinct  sovereign- 
ties contiguous  <<)  each  other."  This  was  felt  to  be  a 
serious  problem ;  after  due  consideration,  an  effort 
was  made  to  more  strongly  unite  the  colonies  outside 
of  Maryland;  a  new  constitution  was  accordingly 
drawn  up  by  Professor  Greenleaf,  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege, the  name  "Commonwealth  of  Liberia"  was 
adopted,  and  Thomas  Buchanan,  who  had  been  gov- 
ernor of  the  Grand  Bassa  settlements,  was  appointed 
governor  of  the  newly  organized  commonwealth.  "We 
have  already  referred  to  him  as  a  man  of  vigor  and 
enthusiasm ;  it  is  seldom  indeed  that  Liberia  has  had 
an  equally  capable  director. 


"It  is  not  every  man  that  we  can  honestly  advise,  or  desii'e 
to  come  to  this  country.  To  those  who  are  contented  to  live  and 
educate  their  children  as  house  servants  and  lackeys,  we  would 
say  stay  where  you  are;  here  we  have  no  masters  to  employ 
you.  To  the  indolent,  heedless  and  slothful,  we  would  say,  tarry 
among  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt;  here  we  get  our  bread  by  the 
sweat  of  our  brow.  To  drunkards  and  rioters,  we  would  say, 
come  not  to  us;  you  never  can  become  naturalized  in  a  land 
where  there  are  no  grog-shops  and  where  temperance  and  order 
is  the  motto.  To  the  timorous  and  suspicious,  we  would  say, 
etay  where  you  have  protectors;  here  we  protect  ourselves.  But 
the  industrious,  enterprising,  and  patriotic,  of  whatever  occu- 
pation, or  enterprise — the  mechanic,  the  merchant,  the  farmer, 
and  especially  the  latter,  we  would  counsel,  advise,  and  entreat, 
to  come  over  and  be  one  with  us,  and  assist  us  in  this  glorious 
enterprise,  and  enjoy  with  us  that  to  which  we  ever  were,  and 
to  which  the  man  of  color  ever  must  be  a  stranger,  in  America. ' ' 

1838—1847. 

Governor  Buchanan  had  scarcely  come  to  power 
when  he  was  forced  to  take  vigorous  action  against 
the  slave  traders  at  Trade  Town ;  he  assumed  the 
right  of  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  territory  along 
the  Little  Bassa  seaboard ;  he  ordered  a  trader,  who 
had  been  there  established  for  some  months,  to  leave 
within  a  given  time  or  suffer  the  confiscation  of  his 
entire  property;  the  man  had  received  two  similar 
orders  from  Anthony  D.  Williams,  but  had  treated 
them  with  contempt;  to  Buchanan's  order  he  re- 
turned a  courteous  reply ;  he  promised  obedience,  but 
asked  delay  until  a  vessel  should  come  to  take  his 
goods;  this  was  granted  on  condition  of  his  desisting 
entirely  from  slave  trading  in  the  meantime.  About 
this  time  an  English  trader  established  a  regular  trade 
factory  at  the  same  place;  he  put  some  goods  ashore 
in  charge  of  a  native  agent;  Buchanan  ordered  him 
off  under  threat  of  seizing  his  goods;  he  treated  the 
messenger  rudely  and  refused  obedience.     Meantime 

80 


HISTORY.  81 

the  slave  trader  had  been  negotiating  Avith  native 
kings  for  their  protection;  he  added  to  his  stores, 
extended  his  barracoon,  and  paid  no  attention  to 
remonstrance.  On  the  18th  of  April,  without  previ- 
ous announcement,  Buchanan  ordered  a  military 
parade  at  7  P.  M. ;  he  stated  the  facts,  declared  his 
intention  of  proceeding  in  force  against  Trade  Town, 
and  called  for  forty  volunteers  who  were  soon 
secured ;  the  next  day  he  sent  to  New  Georgia  for 
twenty-five  volunteers — they  sent  him  thirty-five.  He 
then  chartered  two  small  schooners,  and  sent  them, 
together  with  the  government  schooner  Providence, 
with  ammunition,  by  sea  to  join  the  land  forces  for 
co-operation ;  on  Monday,  the  22nd,  at  9  A.  M.,  the 
land  force  took  up  the  march  under  Elijah  Johnson ; 
in  despatching  his  soldiers,  the  Governor  told  them 
that  they  were  not  out  for  war  and  plunder,  but  to 
sustain  a  civil  officer  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty ;  he 
urged  them  to  conduct  themselves  in  an  orderly  man- 
ner with  obedience  and  discipline.  When  the  force 
actually  started,  about  100  men  were  in  line.  The 
fleet  found  bad  winds  and  currents;  after  thirty-six 
hours'  struggle  in  trying  to  make  Trade  Town,  it  re- 
appeared at  Monrovia.  The  case  looked  desperate,  as 
the  men  sent  overland  had  little  ammunition  or  food. 
At  this  moment  Sir  Francis  Russell  arrived  and 
placed  the  fast  Euphrates  at  the  disposition  of  the 
government ;  arms  and  ammunition  were  at  once 
loaded,  Buchanan  went  in  person,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing they  were  at  anchor  in  front  of  Little  Bassa.  The 
battle  was  already  on ;  the  barracoon,  a  circular  pali- 
sade ten  feet  high,  enclosed  some  half-dozen  native 
houses,  from  which  firing  was  going  on ;  the  opening 
in  the  forest  was  about  150  yards  from  the  shore;  it 
was  diiificult  to  know  what  to  do,  as  it  was  impossible 
to  recognize  which  was  the  friendly  party;  the  Eu- 
phrates, well  known  as  a  slaving  vessel,  would  be  mis- 
taken ;  the  landing-party  would  be  fired  upon  by  its 
friends;  an  American  seaman  volunteered  to  per- 
form the  dangerous  feat  of  carrying  a  letter  to  the 

6. 


82  LIBERIA. 

shore;  Elijah  Johnson,  seeing  a  white  man  landing 
from  the  canoe,  made  a  sally  with  his  forces  to  destroy 
him ;  his  real  character  was  only  recognized  when  the 
natives  were  on  the  point  of  knifing  him;  Johnson's 
party  rushed  out  and  saved  him.  As  soon  as  his  mes- 
senger was  ashore,  Buchanan  started  with  two  boats 
for  the  beach;  the  terrified  Kru,  whom  they  met  in 
canoes  before  landing,  told  them  that  the  woods  on 
both  sides  of  the  path  were  lined  with  natives  and 
the  woods  behind  alive  with  them;  when  their  boat 
was  about  fifty  yards  from  the  beach,  a  party  of  five 
or  six  came  out  to  attack  the  new-comers;  Buchanan 
stood  and  fired  into  them  and  they  scattered.  In 
landing,  his  canoe  was  capsized  and  he  was  nearly 
drowned.  Huzzas  greeted  the  relieving  party;  the 
defense  was  vigorously  resumed;  the  houses  outside 
of  the  barraeoon,  fifteen  or  twenty  in  number,  had 
given  cover  to  the  natives;  Buchanan  ordered  them 
to  be  destroyed,  which  was  promptly  done.  Johnson 
with  a  party  of  thirty  or  forty  was  then  ordered  to 
drive  the  enemy  from  their  forest  shelter;  this  he 
did,  and  the  axe-men  felled  trees  so  as  to  clear  the 
space  around.  The  enemy  kept  firing  all  day,  scatter- 
ing whenever  a  rush  was  made;  Buchanan  himself 
led  two  such  charges.  The  Krumen  were  now  em- 
ployed in  loading  the  property  which  had  been  seized 
by  the  government  party,,  a  task  which  continued 
through  the  day  under  the  protection  of  the  soldiers. 
The  next  morning  firing  was  renewed  from  a  dozen 
places  at  once;  a  pursuing  party  set  out;  Johnson 
led  on;  he  was  twice  wounded  and  also  three  of  his 
men,  though  not  seriously.  As  ammunition  was 
almost  gone,  Buchanan  hurried  in  the  Euphrates  to 
Monrovia,  where  he  arrived  late  at  night;  the  next 
morning  forty  additional  volunteers  were  taken  on 
board,  together  with  two  field  pieces,  14,000  ball  cart- 
ridges, etc.,  etc.  The  vessel  met  with  contrary  winds 
and  was  delayed.  As  they  neared  their  destination 
a  large  brig  was  seen  apparently  making  for  the 
anchorage  ground;  it  was  believed  to  be  a  brig  of 


HISTORY.  83 

the  English  trader  whose  factory  had  been  destroyed ; 
the  decks  of  the  Euphrates  were  cleared  for  action 
and  a  six-pounder  made  ready.  The  brig  turned, 
however,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight.  On  landing, 
Buchanan  found  that  there  had  been  no  fighting  since 
he  left ;  messengers  were  sent  out  to  the  native  chiefs, 
Prince  and  Bah  Gay,  demanding  instant  surrender  of 
the  slaves,  who,  on  the  appearance  of  the  force,  had 
been  turned  over  by  the  slavers  to  the  natives ;  the 
captured  goods  were  finally  all  loaded,  the  wounded 
were  sent  on  board,  and  everything  was  prepared  for 
the  return;  though  the  chiefs  failed  to  turn  in  all 
the  slaves,  some  were  surrendered.  As  the  main  ob- 
jects of  the  expedition  had  been  gained,  the  party 
returned  to  Monrovia. 

From  1838  to  1840  there  had  been  war  between  the 
Dey  and  Golah  tribes  in  which  the  Golah  gained 
the  advantage.  The  Dey  suffered  so  much  that  their 
remnant  took  refuge  in  the  colony.  A  number  of 
them  were  living  on  the  farms  of  colonists  near  ]\Iills- 
burg;  suddenly  Gatumba,  a  Golah  chief,  burst  upon 
them,  wounding  four  dreadfully  and  carrying  twelve 
into  slavery;  the  entire  number  would  have  been 
killed  or  captured  had  not  the  colonists,  hearing  guns, 
appeared  and  rescued  them.  The  attackers  fled. 
Notice  was  sent  to  Grovernor  Buchanan,  and  he  at  once 
hastened  thither ;  he  prepared  for  difficulties  and  kept 
strict  watch ;  a  letter  was  sent  to  Gatumba,  demand- 
ing an  explanation  and  requesting  a  palaver  at  Mills- 
burg  ;  an  insulting  reply  was  returned ;  Gatumba 
intimated  that  he  was  prepared  for  battle,  did  not 
intend  to  attack  the  Americans,  but  would  not  per- 
mit their  interference.  Returning  to  Monrovia, 
Buchanan  assembled  his  principal  officers,  laid  the 
matter  before  them,  and  proposed  attacking  Gatum- 
ba's  colony  before  he  should  attack  Millsburg.  His 
officers  thought  it  best  to  send  another  message  to 
the  chief;  five  messengers  were  sent,  were  fired  upon, 
and  three  of  them  were  taken  prisoners.  Several 
days  passed  when,  on  March  8,  1840,  Gatumba  burst 


84  LIBERIA. 

upon  Heddington  and  would  have  murdered  every- 
body in  the  place  had  they  not  in  a  measure  been 
prepared.  The  battle  took  place  at  the  house  of  Mis- 
sionary Brown;  two  Americans  from  Caldwell  were 
living  with  Brown  at  the  time;  a  desperate  attack 
was  made  at  daybreak  by  from  300  to  400  men; 
against  them  were  three  black  Americans  sheltered 
by  the  house;  all  had  guns  and  considerable  ammu- 
nition; the  attack  was  frightful,  and  the  numbers 
great;  the  battle  continued  for  almost  an  hour,  and 
the  ammunition  was  nearly  gone;  Gotorah,  a  notable 
cannibal,  at  the  head  of  his  best  warriors,  made  a  rush 
and  came  within  ten  feet  of  the  door ;  Harris,  handed 
a  loaded  gun  by  a  town  native,  poured  a  heavy  charge 
into  the  advancing  leader,  who  fell  hideously  man- 
gled; his  fall  caused  panic  and  flight  to  his  followers. 
The  battle  over,  notice  of  the  event  was  sent  to 
Buchanan,  who  was  at  Little  Bassa;  hastening  to 
Heddington,  he  found  the  place  fortified  in  prepara- 
tion for  a  second  attack ;  the  people  above  the  settle- 
ment were  in  alarm ;  Gatumba  was  reported  to  be 
preparing  for  vengeance.  Buchanan  determined 
upon  immediate  attack  on  Gatumba 's  town;  with  200 
men,  arms,  ammunition,  and  a  week's  provisions,  they 
were  to  start  in  boats  for  Millsburg.  Rumors  of  an 
approaching  hostile  force  delayed  their  departure; 
but,  on  the  second  day,  embarcation  was  made  and 
Millsburg  reached;  from  there  the  line  of  march  was 
taken  by  300  men  with  a  piece  of  artillery;  sixty  of 
the  party  were  Kru  carriers  and  forty  were  native 
allies,  so  that  the  really  effective  force  consisted  of 
some  200  men ;  the  cannon  was  dragged  for  six  miles 
with  great  labor  and  was  then  abandoned ;  the  rain 
was  falling  in  torrents  when,  at  two  o'clock,  they 
reached  a  ruined  walled  town  which  had  at  one  time 
been  destroyed  by  Gatumba ;  as  some  huts  still  stood 
and  the  site  was  high,  a  camp  was  made.  The  next 
day  the  line  was  formed  again  and,  in  spite  of  the 
flooded  trail  and  swollen  streams,  the  party  continued 
to  Gatumba 's  town.    As  they  neared,  an  attack  upon 


HISTORY.  85 

them  was  made  from  ambush  and  Capt.  Snetter  fell 
mortally  wounded;  the  men  rushed  forward  and  dis- 
lodged the  enemy ;  the  music  struck  up,  and  a  lively 
advance  was  made;  for  nearly  six  miles  they  were 
exposed  to  shooting  from  the  thick  forest,  but  rushed 
on ;  the  town  was  found  well  barricaded ;  Buchanan 
ran  up  with  his  aids.  Col.  Lewis  and  Gen.  Roberts, 
to  the  margin  of  the  open  field,  where  he  found  John- 
son vigorously  engaged  with  the  people  of  the  town 
and  with  an  ambush;  the  third  company  now  came 
up  and  joined  the  combat.  Such  was  the  vigor  of 
their  attack  that  the  enemy,  taken  with  panic,  rushed 
from  the  town  by  a  rear  gate  into  the  forest ;  the 
Liberian  forces  entered  in  triumph.  By  this  victory 
the  strength  of  Gatumba  was  completely  prostrated. 
During  Buchanan's  administration  a  serious  diffi- 
culty arose  with  the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  The  superintendent  of  its  interests 
at  the  time  was  the  Rev.  John  Seyes ;  he  was  a  man 
of  considerable  ability  and  force  of  character,  but 
was  highly  opinionated;  the  mission  had  found  that 
trade  goods  was  the  best  means  of  remitting  from 
their  treasury  in  America  to  their  stations  in  Africa ; 
it  was  the  ruling  of  the  colony  that  goods  necessary 
for  carrying  on  the  work  of  missions  should  be  ad- 
mitted free  of  duty;  a  difference  arose  between  Gov- 
ernor Buchanan  and  Mr.  Seyes  in  reference  to  the 
goods  being  introduced  by  the  mission  for  trading 
purposes  with  natives — Buchanan  holding,  very 
justly,  that  free  admission  should  be  granted  only  for 
supplies  for  the  personal  use  of  missionaries.  The 
undutiable  goods  introduced  by  the  missionaries  en- 
abled them  to  undersell  the  colonial  merchants,  who 
had  to  pay  the  regular  fees.  The  Governor  was  firm 
in  his  attitude  and  demanded  that  all  goods  which 
were  to  be  used  for  trade  purposes  should  pay  their 
duties;  the  Colonization  Society  stood  behind  the 
Governor  in  his  course ;  the  community,  however, 
was  rent  in  twain — great  excitement  prevailed — and 


86  LIBERIA. 

there  were  practically  two  parties,  the  Seyes  people 
and  the  government  supporters. 

In  1840  it  was  evident  that  there  was  destined  to 
be  serious  trouble  with  English  traders  settling  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Mano  River.  On  account  of 
threatening  complications,  Buchanan  sent  an  agent 
to  England  to  inquire  as  to  the  purposes  of  such  set- 
tlers and  the  attitude  of  the  British  Government  in 
the  matter.  On  September  3,  1841,  Buchanan  died 
at  Bassa  Cove.  His  death  was  a  serious  loss,  but 
fortunately  the  man  was  ready  who  was  competent 
to  take  up  his  work  and  carry  it  through  to  a  suc- 
cessful conclusion. 

This  man  was  Joseph  Jenkin  Roberts,  who  was 
appointed  Governor  by  the  Colonization  Society  and 
who  held  the  office  for  six  years;  at  the  end  of  that 
time  the  Society  itself  severed  its  relation  to  the 
settlements.  Roberts  was  a  mulatto;  he  was  born  in 
Virginia,  in  1809;  he  went  to  Liberia  in  1829  and 
at  once  engaged  in  trade;  he  was  at  the  head  of  the 
Liberian  force  in  its  war  against  Gatumba.  His  six 
years  of  governorship  were  on  the  whole  successful 
ones,  although  it  was  at  this  time  that  difficulties 
began  with  France.  In  1842  the  French  Government 
attempted  to  secure  a  foothold  at  Cape  Mount,  Bassa 
Cove,  Butu,  and  Garawe ;  this  occurrence  caused  con- 
siderable anxiety,  but  the  matter  seemed  to  be 
finished  without  serious  results;  long  afterwards  this 
attempt  was  made  the  basis  of  claims  which  troubled 
the  Republic.  Roberts  recognized  the  importance  of 
strengthening  Liberian  titles  to  territory;  he  pur- 
sued an  active  policy  of  acquiring  new  areas  and 
strengthening  the  hold  of  the  Commonwealth  upon 
its  older  possesisons.  John  B.  Russwurm  was  at  this 
time  the  Governor  of  Maryland;  Roberts  consulted 
with  him  in  regard  to  public  policy,  and  between 
them  they  agreed  upon  the  levying  of  uniform  6  per 
cent  ad  valorem  duties  upon  all  imports.  During  his 
governorship  Roberts  visited  the  United  States;  he 
was  well  received  and  made  a  good  impression;    as 


HISTORY.  87 

a  result  of  his  visit,  an  American  squadron  visited 
the  coast  of  West  Africa;  difficulties,  however,  were 
brewing;  Roberts  found  the  English  and  other  for- 
eigners unwilling  to  pay  customs  duties;  they  took 
the  ground  that  Liberia  was  not  an  actual  govern- 
ment and  had  no  right  to  levy  duties  on  shipping 
and  foreign  trade.  On  account  of  its  failure  to  pay 
duties,  the  Little  Ben,  an  English  trading  boat,  was 
seized;  in  retaliation  the  John  Seyes,  belonging  to  a 
Liberian  named  Benson,  was  seized  and  sold  for 
£2000.  Appeals  were  made  to  the  United  States  and 
to  the  Society  for  support;  the  United  States  made 
some  inquiries  of  the  British  Government ;  the  Amer- 
ican representations,  however,  were  put  modestly  and 
half-heartedly;  to  them  Great  Britain  replied  that 
she  "could  not  recognize  the  sovereign  powers  of 
Liberia,  which  she  regarded  as  a  mere  commercial 
experiment  of  a  philanthropic  society."  It  was  clear 
that  a  crisis  had  been  reached ;  the  Society  of  course 
could  do  nothing;  the  American  Government  was 
timid  in  its  support;  if  Liberia  was  to  act  at  all,  she 
must  act  for  herself.  Recognizing  the  situation,  in 
1846  the  Society  resolved  that  it  was  "expedient  for 
the  people  to  take  into  their  own  hands"  the  man- 
agement of  their  affairs,  and  severed  relations  which 
had  bound  Liberia  to  it.  The  Liberians  themselves 
called  for  a  constitutional  convention,  which  began 
its  session  the  25th  of  June,  1847 ;  on  July  26th  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  made  and  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  Liberian  Republic  was  adopted.  The 
flag  consisted  of  eleven  stripes,  alternately  red  and 
white;  the  field,  blue,  bore  a  single  white  star.  It  is 
suggested  that  the  meaning  of  the  flag  is  this:  The 
three  colors  indicate  the  three  counties  into  which 
the  Republic  is  divided;  the  eleven  stripes  represent 
the  eleven  signers  of  the  Declaration  and  the  Consti- 
tution;  the  lone  star  indicates  the  uniqueness  of  the 
African  Republic. 


Moreover,  here  is  a  wonder  such  as  Solomon  in  all  his  wis- 
dom conceived  not  of,  when  he  said,  ' '  there  is  nothing  new 
under  the  sun."  Here  on  Africa's  shores,  the  wilderness  to 
which  our  fathers  came  but  as  yesterday,  in  ignorance,  penury 
and  want, — we  have  builded  us  towns  and  villages,  and  now 
are  about  to  form  a  Eepublic — nay,  nor  was  it  thought  of  by 
the  wise  men  of  Europe  and  America. — H.  J.  R. 

1847—1913. 

The  election  was  held  in  October,  and  Joseph 
Jenkin  Roberts,  the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth, 
was  elected  to  the  new  office  of  President  of  the  Re- 
public. One  of  his  earliest  acts  was  to  visit  Europe 
in  order  to  ask  the  recognition  of  the  new  nation  by- 
European  countries.  The  first  to  recognize  the  Re- 
public was  Great  Britain ;  France  was  second.  As  it 
may  be  interesting  to  know  just  what  poM^ers  have  so 
far  recognized  Liberia  as  a  nation,  the  list  is  pre- 
sented in  the  order  of  their  recognition,  the  date  of 
recognition  being  placed  within  parenthesis: — Great 
Britain  (1848);  France  (1852);  Lubeck  (1855); 
Bremen  (1855)  ;  Hamburg  (1855)  ;  Belgium  (1858)  ; 
Denmark  (1860)  ;  United  States  (1862)  ;  Italy 
(1862)  ;  Sweden  and  Norway  (1863)  ;  Holland 
(1863);    Hayti   (1864);    Portugal   (1865). 

Of  Roberts,  Mr.  Thomas,  in  his  West  Coast  of 
Africa,  says:  "We  called  on  President  Roberts  and 
family.  Mrs.  and  Miss  Roberts  are  most  intelligent 
and  interesting  personages,  speak  English  and 
French  fluently,  and  are,  in  all  respects,  well  bred 
and  refined.  I  suppose  that  they  have  colored  blood 
enough  in  them  to  swear  by,  but  they  might  travel 
through  every  State  in  the  Union  without  ever  being 
suspected  of  having  any  connection  with  the  sable 
progeny  of  Ham.  Miss  Roberts  is  a  blue-eyed 
blonde,  having  light  brown  hair  and  rosy  cheeks ;   yet 


HISTORY.  *        89 

she  is  a  genuine  African  in  the  know-nothing  sense 
of  genuineness,  having  been  born  in  the  woods  of 
Liberia.  The  Ex-President  is  tall  and  well  propor- 
tioned, colorless  in  complexion — hope  the  reader  can 
tolerate  a  paradox — but  plainly  indicating  his  Afri- 
can extraction  by  a  very  kinky  head  of  wool,  of  which, 
his  friends  say,  he  is  very  proud.  We  have  spoken  of 
his  official  character.  In  intelligence  and  moral  in- 
tegrity he  is  a  superior  man,  and  in  the  interview  of 
that  morning  displaj^ed  much  of  that  excellence 
in  conversation  and  elegance  of  manner  that  have 
rendered  him  so  popular  in  the  courts  of  France  and 
England.  The  best  evidence  of  his  practical  good 
sense  was  displayed  in  a  visit,  which  he  made  a  few 
years  ago,  to  his  colored  relatives  and  his  white 
friends  in  his  native  state  of  Virginia.  In  every 
circle  he  knew  his  place,  and  conducted  himself  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  win  great  favor  among  bond  and 
free." 

It  was  while  he  was  in  London,  in  1848,  that  Mr. 
Roberts,  at  a  dinner  given  by  the  Prussian  Ambas- 
sador, met  Lord  Ashley  and  ]\Ir.  Gurley,  and 
received  from  them  promises  of  assistance  for  pur- 
chasing the  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Gallinhas  River.  He  was  well  treated  everywhere; 
he  was  received  by  Queen  Victoria  upon  her  royal 
yacht  in  April ;  the  British  Admiralty  presented  the 
Republic  with  a  war  vessel,  the  Lark;  he  was  re- 
turned to  Monrovia  on  the  British  war-ship  Amazwi. 
Roberts  was  re-elected  president  for  two  subsequent 
terms,  holding  office  until  the  end  of  1855.  During 
his  administration  there  were  a  number  of  disorders 
among  the  natives  w^hich  needed  settlement;  thus,  in 
1850,  the  Vai,  Dey,  and  Golah  were  quarreling;  this 
was  during  the  absence  of  the  President.  In  March, 
1853,  Roberts,  with  200  men,  went  to  the  region  of 
Cape  Mount  in  order  to  quiet  the  disturbance.  The 
Grando  War,  in  Grand  Bassa,  called  for  vigorous 
action,  and  Chief  Grando  continued  to  give  trouble 
at  intervals  from  1850  to  1853.     On  the  whole,  the 


90  LIBERIA. 

Koberts  administrations  were  successful,  and  the 
country  was  greatly  strengthened  under  his  direction. 

If  Roberts  was  a  mulatto,  so  light  that  he  might 
easily  have  passed  for  a  white  man,  his  successor, 
Stephen  Allen  Benson,  was  black  enough.  This  is 
amusingly  brought  out  in  an  incident  given  by 
Thomas,  which  no  doubt  has  some  basis  in  fact,  if 
it  is  not  literally  true.  Thomas  claims  to  quote  a 
conversation  between  Capt.  White  of  Virginia,  while 
walking  through  Monrovia,  and  a  former  slave  whom 
he  had  known  as  "Buck"  (now  "Col.  Brown"). 
The  Captain  asked,  "Which  of  the  candidates  for  the 
presidency  are  you  going  to  vote  for?"  "Oh,  Ben- 
son, sir."  "Has  not  Roberts  made  you  a  good  presi- 
dent?" "Oh,  yes."  "He  is  a  very  smart  man," 
continued  the  Captain,  "and  much  respected  abroad. 
I  think  you  had  better  vote  for  him."  "That's  all 
true" — Colonel  becomes  quite  animated — "but  the 
fae's  just  this,  Massa  White;  the  folks  say  as  how 
we  darkies  ain't  fitten  to  take  care  o'  oursel's — ain't 
capable.  Roberts  is  a  very  fine  gentleman,  but  he's 
more  white  than  black.  Benson's  colored  people  all 
over.  There's  no  use  talking  government,  an'  making 
laws,  an'  that  kind  o'  things,  if  they  ain't  going  to 
keep  um  up.  I  vote  for  Benson,  sir,  case  I  wants 
to  know  if  we's  going  to  stay  nigger  or  turn  monkey." 

Stephen  Allen  Benson  was  born  in  Maryland,  in 
1816;  he  removed  to  Liberia  in  1822;  he  was  cap- 
tured and  held  by  the  natives  for  some  little  time; 
he  was  inaugurated  President  in  January,  1856. 
During  his  administration  Napoleon  III  presented 
the  Republic  with  the  Hirondelle  and  equipment  for 
1000  armed  men.  During  his  administration  there 
were  various  troubles  with  the  coast  natives,  espe- 
cially in  the  neighborhood  of  Cape  Palmas;  in  the 
month  of  January,  1857,  the  difficulty  was  so  serious 
that  the  very  existence  of  the  colony  and  the  Ameri- 
can missionaries  at  Cape  Palmas  were  threatened. 
A  force  of  Liberian  soldiers  under  Ex-President  Rob- 
erts was  sent  upon  an  English  war  steamer  to  their 


HISTORY.  91 

relief;  the  arrival  of  so  considerable  a  fore;  awed 
the  natives  and  led  to  a  palaver;  the  natives  prom- 
ised submission  and  an  indemnity  for  the  destruction 
they  had  caused. 

The  independent  colony  of  Maryland  in  Liberia 
had  had  a  fairly  successful  existence.  Their  first 
governor,  J.  B.  Russwurm,  died  in  1851.  He  was 
succeeded  by  McGill,  and  he  by  Prout.  At  the  time 
of  the  Grebo  War,  J.  B.  Drayton  was  Governor. 
Largely  as  a  result  of  this  trouble  it  was  decided  that 
Maryland  should  join  with  the  other  colonies  and 
become  a  part  of  the  Republic;  this  annexation  took 
place  February  28,  1857,  ten  days  after  the  ending 
of  the  Grebo  War. 

A  curious  incident  took  place  in  1858.  The  French 
ship,  Regina  Coeli,  arrived  on  the  Kru  Coast,  and  the 
Captain  treated  with  Kru  chiefs  for  men  to  be 
shipped  as  laborers;  the  men  supposed  that  they 
were  shipped  for  a  trip  along  the  west  coast,  as  usual, 
to  serve  as  seamen ;  learning,  howevei;,  that  their  des- 
tination was  the  West  Indies,  they  became  alarmed 
and  believed  that  they  were  to  be  sold  into  slavery; 
the  Captain  was  still  on  shore,  treating  with  the 
chiefs;  the  men  mutinied,  seized  the  ship,  and  killed 
all  the  white  crew  except  the  doctor;  they  then  re- 
turned to  shore  and  left  the  ship  without  a  crew ;  had 
she  not  been  noticed  by  a  passing  English  steamer,  she 
would  no  doubt  have  been  wrecked;  she  was  taken 
into  a  Liberian  port.  The  French  Government  inves- 
tigated the  matter,  but  it  was  clearly  shown  that  the 
Liberian  Republic  was  in  no  way  responsible  for 
the  incident. 

In  1860  troubles  with  British  traders  in  the  region 
of  the  Mano  River  began ;  these  are  so  fully  dis- 
cussed in  another  place  that  we  need  not  present  the 
facts  here. 

A  great  deal  of  trouble  was  encountered  by  the 
Republic  in  preventing  smuggling  by  foreign  ships; 
as  it  was  impossible  to  adequately  man  all  the  ports 
along   the    coast    with    customs-officers,    a    law    was 


92  LIBERIA. 

passed  naming  certain  Ports  of  Entry  at  which  only 
it  was  permitted  for  foreign  boats  to  trade;  this 
rendered  the  detection  of  illegal  trade  and  smuggling 
easier. 

In  1864  Daniel  Bashiel  Warner  became  President. 
He  was  a  native  of  the  United  States,  born  April  18, 
1815.  It  was  during  his  administration  that  the 
Ports  of  Entry  Law  was  passed;  it  was  also  during 
his  term  that  an  immigration  of  300  West  Indian 
negroes  took  place;  among  those  who  came  at  that 
time  were  the  parents  of  Arthur  Barclay,  later  promi- 
nent in  Liberian  politics;  Arthur  Barclay  himself 
was  a  child  at  the  time. 

In  1868  James  Spriggs  Payne  became  President. 
He  was  a  clergyman  of  some  literary  ability ;  he  was 
author  of  a  small  treatise  upon  political  economy; 
during  his  first  administration  he  sent  Benjamin 
Anderson  on  an  official  expedition  to  the  interior. 
Anderson  penetrated  as  far  as  Musahdu,  an  impor- 
tant town  of  the  Mandingo ;  Payne  served  a  second 
term,  but  not  immediately  following  his  first ;  after 
him  were  President  Roye  and  President  Roberts ;  it 
was  in  1876  Payne  was  inaugurated  a  second  time. 

In  1870  Edward  James  Roye,  a  merchant  and  ship- 
owner, became  President  of  the  Republic ;  he  was  a 
full  negro;  he  represented  the  "True  Whig"  party. 
His  administration  is  notable  for  the  turbulent  char- 
acter of  its  events.  It  was  under  him  that  the  famous 
loan  of  1871  was  made.  Before  he  became  President, 
an  effort  had  been  made  to  amend  the  Constitution 
in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  presidential  term  four 
years  instead  of  two ;  the  amendment  was  not  car- 
ried ;  Avhen,  however,  his  term  of  office  neared  its 
end,  he  proclaimed  an  extension  of  his  period  for  two 
years.  Public  dissatisfaction  with  the  loan  and  a 
feeling  of  outrage  at  this  high-handed  action  aroused 
the  people  so  that  they  rose  against  him ;  in  the  strife 
several  lives  were  lost;  the  President's  house  was 
sacked ;  search  was  made  for  him  and  one  of  his 
sons  was  caught  and  imprisoned ;    in  the  effort  to 


HISTORY.  93 

escape  to  a  British  steamer  standing  in  the  harbor,  it 
is  said  that  he  was  drowned.  Roye's  deposition  took 
place  October  26,  1871.  A  committee  of  three  was 
appointed  to  govern  the  nation  until  a  new  election 
could  be  held ;  these  gentlemen  were  Charles  B.  Dun- 
bar, R.  A.  Sherman,  and  Amos  Herring. 

In  this  moment  of  public  excitement  and  disorder 
the  people  looked  to  their  old  leader,  and  Joseph  Jen- 
kin  Roberts  was  again  elected  to  the  presidency ;  this 
was  his  fifth  term.  His  time  was  largely  devoted  to 
bringing  about  calm  and  order;  Benjamin  Anderson, 
in  1874,  made  a  second  expedition  to  Musahdu ;  in 
1875  there  was  a  war  with  the  Gedebo  (Grebo)  of 
some  consequence. 

After  President  Payne's  second  administration 
Anthony  W.  Gardner  became  President ;  he  was  in- 
augurated in  1878.  It  was  under  his  administration 
that  the  difficulties  with  England  culminated,  and 
Liberian  territory  was  seized  by  British  arms.  In 
1879  took  place  what  is  known  as  the  "Carlos  inci- 
dent;" the  German  steamer,  Carlos,  was  wrecked  at 
Nana  Kru ;  the  natives  looted  the  vessel  and  abused 
the  shipwrecked  Germans  who  had  landed  in  their 
boats;  the  Germans  were  robbed  of  everything  they 
had  succeeded  in  bringing  to  shore  with  them  and 
were  even  stripped  of  their  clothing ;  they  were  com- 
pelled to  walk  along  the  beach  to  Greenville.  The  Ger- 
man warship,  Victoria,  was  immediately  despatched 
to  the  point  of  difficulty;  she  bombarded  Nana  Kru 
and  the  towns  about ;  she  then  proceeded  to  Monrovia 
and  demanded  £900  damages  on  behalf  of  the  ship- 
wrecked Germans;  the  Government  was  unable  to 
make  prompt  settlement  and  eventually  paid  the 
claim  only  under  threat  of  a  bombardment  and  with 
the  help  of  European  merchants  in  Monrovia.  It 
was  under  President  Gardner's  direction  that  the 
Liberian  Order  of  African  Redemption  was  estab- 
lished ;  the  decoration  of  the  order  consists  of  a  star 
with  rays  pendent  from  a  wreath  of  olive;  upon  the 
star  is  the  seal  of  the  Republic  with  the  motto,  THE 


94  LIBERIA. 

LOVE  OF  LIBERTY  BROUGHT  US  HERE.  Gard- 
ner was  re-elected  twice,  but  finally,  in  despair  on  ac- 
count of  the  misfortune  which  his  nation  was  suffering, 
resigned  his  office  in  January,  1883 ;  at  his  resigna- 
tion the  Vice-President,  A.  F.  Russell,  took  the  chair. 

In  1883  there  were  two  other  difficulties  with 
wrecked  steamers.  The  Gonsco,  a  British  mail 
steamer  belonging  to  the  Elder  Dempster  Company, 
was  wrecked  near  the  mouth  of  the  Grand  Cesters 
River;  the  passengers  and  crew  took  to  the  boats, 
but  were  plundered  by  the  natives  when  they  landed ; 
the  ship  itself  was  also  plundered ;  the  Liberian  force 
punished  the  Grand  Cesters  people  for  this  deed,  and 
the  British  Government  treated  the  matter  in  a 
friendly  manner.  About  the  same  time  the  Senegal 
was  wrecked  upon  the  Liberian  coast  and  plundered 
by  the  natives.  It  must  be  remembered,  in  connection 
with  such  events  as  these,  that  it  has  always  been 
recognized  along  that  coast,  that  the  natives  on  the 
beach  are  entitled  to  whatever  wreckage  occurs  upon 
their  shores;  it  is  very  difficult  to  disabuse  the  na- 
tive mind  of  this  long  recognized  principle  and  to 
teach  them  that  they  must  leave  wrecked  vessels  un- 
pillaged.  It  will  be  remembered  that  a  difficulty  of 
this  same  kind  took  place  when  the  first  settlers  were 
living  on  Perseverance  Island.  In  September,  1912, 
while  we  were  in  the  interior  of  the  Bassa  country,  a 
German  boat  of  the  Woermann  Line  was  wrecked  in 
front  of  Grand  Bassa ;  although  this  occurred  within 
sight  of  one  of  the  most  important  settlements  in  the 
Republic,  the  natives  put  out  in  their  canoes  and  took 
from  the  sinking  ship  all  its  contents. 

In  1884  Hilary  Richard  AVright  Johnson  became 
President  of  the  Republic.  He  was  the  first  ''native 
son"  to  hold  the  office.  He  was  the  child  of  the  oft- 
mentioned  Elijah  Johnson,  one  of  the  first  settlers. 
Hilary  was  born  at  Monrovia,  June  1,  1837 ;  he 
graduated  from  the  Alexander  High  School,  on  the 
St.  Paul's  River,  in  1857;  for  seven  years  he  was 
the  private  secretary  of  President  Benson;  in  1859 


HISTORY.  95 

he  became  editor  of  the  Liberian  Herald,  continuing 
to  be  so  for  two  years;  in  1861  he  was  elected  to 
the  House  of  Representatives;  in  1862  he  visited 
England  and  other  countries  with  President  Benson; 
he  was  Secretary  of  State  under  President  Warner, 
and  Professor  of  English  and  Philosophy  in  Liberia 
College;  in  1870  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
under  President  Roye,  but  resigned  his  office  on  ac- 
count of  difference  of  opinion  with  him ;  during  the 
provisional  government  and  during  President  Rob- 
erts' final  administration  he  was  Secretary  of  State; 
he  became  President  in  1884  and  served  eight  years ; 
after  he  left  the  presidential  chair,  he  was  for  some 
time  Postmaster-General;  he  died  at  Monrovia  in 
1900.  It  was  in  President  Johnson's  administration 
that  the  boundary  dispute  so  long  pending  with  Great 
Britain  was  settled,  the  Mano  River  being  recognized 
as  the  limit  of  Liberian  territory;  through  a  very 
considerable  part  of  his  time  of  service  efforts  were 
being  made  toward  adjusting  the  unfortunate  affairs 
connected  with  the  loan  of  1871 ;  at  the  very  close 
of  Johnson's  term  of  office  trouble  with  the  French 
began  by  their  claim  on  October  26th  of  the  Cavalla 
River  boundary. 

Joseph  James  Cheeseman  was  the  next  President, 
being  inaiiguratfvl  it)  1892.  Ilo  was  born  in  1843  at 
Edina,  and  was  trained  for  the  ministry  by  his 
father;  he  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  in  Edina  in  November,  1868.  He  was  a 
man  of  energy;  in  1893  he  found  the  third  Gedebo 
War  upon  his  hands;  he  secured  two  gunboats — the 
Rochtown  and  the  Gorronama — to  patrol  the  coast 
for  the  prevention  of  smuggling;  during  his  admin- 
istration the  use  of  paper  currency  was  abolished  and 
gold  payment  established.  He  w^as  twice  re-elected 
and  died  in  office  in  the  middle  of  his  third  term, 
November  15,  1896.  The  Vice-President.  William 
David  Coleman,  took  the  presidency  and,  at  the  close 
of  his  filling:  of  the  unexpired  term,  was  elected  to 
the  presidency. 


96  LIBERIA. 

William  David  Coleman  was  a  resident  of  Clay- 
Ashland.  His  term  was  rather  troubled ;  his  interior 
policy  was  unpopular;  he  quarreled  with  his  legisla- 
ture; and  finally  resigned  in  December,  1900,  under 
threat  of  impeachment.  As  there  was  no  vice-presi- 
dent at  the  time,  the  Secretary  of  State,  G.  W.  Gib- 
son, succeeded  to  his  office.  It  was  during  President 
Coleman's  administration  that  Germany  offered,  in 
1897,  to  take  over  Liberia  as  a  protected  territory; 
the  offer  was  refused,  but  certainly  is  interesting. 
Germany  has  watched  with  some  concern  the  con- 
stant encroachments  of  Great  Britain  and  France 
upon  Liberian  territory  and  sovereign  rights;  having 
no  territorial  boundary  herself,  she  is  unable  to  pur- 
sue their  methods;  she  is  watching,  however,  and 
unless,  as  some  suspect,  there  is  an  actual  under- 
standing between  Great  Britain  and  Prance,  as  to 
the  eventual  complete  division  of  the  Republic  be- 
tween them,  it  is  certain  that,  when  the  German 
Government  thinks  Liberia's  neighbors  are  going  too 
far  in  their  land  piracy,  she  herself  wdll  take  a  hand 
and  grasp  the  whole  Republic.  Such  at  least  is  a 
possibility  not  infrequently  suggested. 

Garretson  Warner  Gibson  was  born  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  May  20,  1832 ;  he  w^as  but  three  years  old 
when  he  went  with  his  parents  to  Cape  Palmas ;  he 
was  educated  under  Bishop  Payne  and  became  a 
teacher  in  the  mission  school  at  Cavalla;  in  1851  he 
went  to  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  study- 
ing, returning  to  Cape  Palmas  two  years  later.  In 
1854  he  was  made  deacon  by  Bishop  Payne,  the  first 
ordained  in  the  African  field ;  he  later  became  priest 
and  preached  and  taught  through  a  period  of  years 
until  1858,  when  he  came  to  Monrovia  to  open  up  a 
church.  He  occupied  a  variety  of  political  offices, 
but  under  Gardner,  Cheeseman,  and  Coleman  was 
Secretary  of  State;  on  the  resignation  of  Coleman  he 
filled  out  his  term,  and  was  himself  elected  President 
for  the  period  from  1902  to  1904.  He  was  three  times 
president  of  Liberia  College  and  was  always  inter- 


HISTORY,  •  97 

ested  in  educational  affairs;  in  1908  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  commission  which  visited  the  United  States ; 
he  died  at  Monrovia  April  26,  1910. 

In  1904  Arthur  Barclay  became  president.  We 
have  already  stated  that  he  was  a  native  of  the  West 
Indies,  having  been  born  at  Barbados  in  1854;  he 
was  of  pure  African  parentage ;  his  parents  took  him 
with  them  to  Liberia  in  1865 ;  graduating  from 
Liberia  College  in  1873,  he  became  private  secretary 
to  President  Roberts;  after  filling  various  minor 
offices,  he  became,  in  1892,  Postmaster-General,  in 
1894,  Secretary  of  State,  and  in  1896,  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury.  He  served  two  terms  of  two  years 
each;  during  the  second  of  these  terms  the  Consti- 
tution was  amended  and  the  term  of  office  of  the 
President  extended  to  four  years ;  in  1908  President 
Barclay  entered  upon  his  third  term  of  office,  this 
time  for  the  longer  period.  Arthur  Barclay  is  a  man 
of  extraordinary  ability;  he  has  for  years  been  the 
acknowledged  leader  of  the  Liberian  bar;  many  of 
the  most  important  incidents  of  Liberian  history 
occurred  within  his  period  of  administration;  most 
of  them,  however,  are  connected  with  the  vital  prob- 
lems of  the  Republic  and  their  discussion  will  be 
found  elsewhere. 

The  present  executive  of  the  Liberian  Republic  is 
Daniel  Edward  Howard.  He  assumed  office  January 
1st  and  2nd,  1912 ;  at  his  inauguration  one  day  was 
given  to  the  native  chiefs,  a  new  feature  in  inaugura- 
tion, and  one  to  be  encouraged.  In  his  inaugural 
address  President  Howard  laid  particular  stress  upon 
agriculture,  education,  and  the  native  policy.  He  is 
the  third  "native  son"  to  hold  the  presidential  office. 
His  father  was  Thomas  Howard,  who  for  years  was 
chairman  of  the  Republic.  Of  him  Ellis  says:  "Com- 
paratively a  young  man,  Secretary  Howard  is  a  nat- 
ural leader  of  men..  Frank,  honest,  and  decisive,  he 
may  be  truly  described  as  the  Mark  Hanna  of 
Liberian  politics.  He  received  his  education  at 
Liberia  College  and  in  the  study  and  management  of 

7. 


98  LIBERIA. 

men.  Proud  of  his  race  and  country,  he  is  to  my 
mind  today  the  strongest  single  factor  in  the  Liberian 
Republic.  He  has  large  influence  with  the  aboriginals 
because  of  his  ability  to  speak  fluently  a  number  of 
native  tongues,  and  he  is  usually  relied  upon  to  settle 
the  native  palavers  and  difficulties.  He  is  chairman 
of  the  National  True  Whig  Committee,  and  for  years 
has  been  keeping  in  touch  with,  and  commanding  the 
great  forces  of  his  party.  It  is  said  of  him  that  to 
his  friends  he  is  as  true  as  steel,  and  that  he  does  not 
know  what  it  is  to  break  a  promise." 

President  Howard  has  an  able  Cabinet,  liberal 
views,  and  the  courage  of  his  convictions. 

Of  men  not  actually  in  the  present  government,  but 
of  commanding  influence  and  significance,  two  must 
be  mentioned.  No  clear  understanding  of  the  present 
trend  of  Liberian  affairs  is  possible  without  some 
knowledge  of  their  personality.  Here  again  we  quote 
from  Ellis:  "Secretary  Johnson  is  the  grandson  of 
Elijah  Johnson,  the  historic  Liberian  patriot,  who 
by  his  wisdom  and  courage  saved  the  infant  colony 
of  Liberia  from  early  extirpation ;  and  the  son  of 
the  late  Ex-President  Hilary  JohnSon,  one  of  Liberia's 
notable  public  men.  Secretary  Johnson  is  proud  and 
dignified  in  his  bearing,  scholarly  in  his  attainments, 
and  fluent  in  his  speech.  For  years  he  has  acknowl- 
edged no  superior,  and  has  been  recognized  as  a  close 
competitor  of  President  Barclay  at  the  bar.  He  has 
enjoyed  extensive  foreign  travel  and  has  had  a  varied 
public  experience.  He  has  served  on  two  important 
foreign  missions,  and  at  different  times  has  been 
Postmaster-General,  Attorney-General,  and  is  now 
Secretary  of  State."  It  will  be  seen  of  course  from 
the  contents  of  these  quotations  from  Ellis  that  his 
article  was  written  just  before  Barclay's  administra- 
tion ended.  There  is  no  man  in  Liberia  M^ho  has  a 
more  complete  grasp  upon  Liberian  problems  than 
F.  E.  R.  Johnson.  At  the  time  of  the  visit  of  the 
American  Commission  to  Monrovia,  he  presented  for 


HISTORY.  99 

their  study  and  examination  a  defense  of  the  Liberian 
position,  which  was  masterly. 

Of  Vice-President  Dossen — now  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court — Ellis  says:  "He  is  a  man  of  mag- 
nificent physique  and  splendid  intellectual  powers, 
aggressive  ahd  proud  in  spirit,  ready  and  forceful  in 
language,  he  has  enjoyed  a  useful  public  record.  For 
ten  years  he  was  Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  and  compiled  the  publication  of  the  Supreme 
Court  Decisions.  He  served  as  envoy  extraordinary 
to  France  and  to  the  United  States,  and  now  presides 
with  becoming  dignity  over  the  deliberations  of  the 
Liberian  Senate."  It  was  a  matter  of  serious  dis- 
appointment to  us,  that  we  were  unable  to  meet  John 
J.  Dossen  when  in  Liberia;  he  is  certainly  one  of 
the  best  men  in  Liberian  public  life  today;  much  is 
still  to  be  expected  from  him. 


PROBLEMS 

I  have  heard  men  express  preferences.  They  have  made 
mention  of  whom  they  desire  to  rule  over  them  if  the  worst 
should  come  upon  us  nationally.  Some  are  rampant  after 
American  associations ;  some  are  enamoured  of  the  English ; 
some  would  have  the  Germans,  others  the  French.  Personally  I 
indulge  no  such  predilections.  They  argue  an  abandonment  of 
hope;  they  display  a  lack  of  vitality;  they  are  an  absolute  ad- 
mission of  incapacity  and  of  failure.  For  my  part  I  am  a 
Liberian  first  and  last  and  my  desire  is  that  Liberia  should 
endure  till  the  heavens  fall,  that  this  country  be  controlled  by 
Liberians  for  Liberians.  But  I  also  desire  that  these  Liberians 
be  tolerant;  that  they  be  prescient;  that  they  be  energetic,  in- 
dustrious, and  public-spirited;  that  they  be  courageous  in 
shouldering  their  national  responsibilities;  that  they  be  liberal 
and  that  they  become  a  great  and  glorious  people,  unanimous 
in  sentiment,  united  in  action,  abounding  in  all  the  virtues 
which  make  a  nation  powerful,  perpetual  and  enduring. — 
E.  Bakclay. 

BOUNDARY  QUESTIONS. 

The  most  pressing  and  ever  urgent  question  which 
the  Republic  has  to  face  is  the  protection  of  its  fron- 
tier against  aggression;  Liberia  has  two  powerful 
neighbors,  both  of  which  are  land-hungry  and  are 
continually  pressing  upon  her  borders ;  she  has 
already  lost  large  slices  of  her  territory  and  is  still 
menaced  with  further  loss. 

FIRST   BRITISH  AGGRESSION. 

Shortly  after  his  election  to  the  presidency  of  the 
Republic,  President  J.  J.  Roberts  visited  Europe.  He 
was  well  received  both  in  England  and  France.  On 
one  occasion,  in  1848,  when  he  was  dining  in  London 
with  the  Prussian  Ambassador,  the  conversation  dealt 
with  the  difficulties  which  the  Liberian  settlers  had 

100 


PROBLEMS.  101 

with  the  native  chiefs  along  the  Gallinhas  River; 
these  hostilities  were  kept  alive  by  slave  traders  who 
had  their  trading  stations  near  the  river's  mouth; 
these  difficulties  had  generally  been  incited  and 
directed  by  a  chief  named  Mano.  Among  the  guests 
who  were  present  at  the  dinner  were  Lord  Ashley  and 
Mr.  Gurney;  it  was  suggested  that  an  end  might  be 
put  to  these  difficulties  and  the  anti-slavery  cause 
advanced,  if  Liberia  would  purchase  this  territory  j. 
considerable  interest  was  aroused  by  the  suggestion, 
and  through  Lord  Ashley's  effort  the  necessary 
money  was  raised  for  consummating  the  purchase. 
On  his  return  to  Liberia,  President  Roberts  entered 
into  negotiations  which  extended  from  1849  to  1856, 
by  which  the  land  was  gradually  acquired;  the  area 
secured  stretched  from  the  Mano  River  to  the  Sewa 
and  Sherbro  Island  on  the  west.  Through  the  an- 
nexation of  this  territory,  Liberia's  domain  extended 
from  Cape  Lahon  to  the  eastward  of  Cape  Palmas, 
west  to  the  border  of  Sierra  Leone,  a  distance  of  600 
miles.  This  acquisition  of  territory  was  attended 
with  considerable  difficulty ;  the  influence  of  traders, 
of  slavers,  and  even  of  England  herself  was  thrown 
in  the  way  of  the  negotiations — so  Commodore  Foote 
tells  us.  Nor  did  the  acquisition  of  the  territory  put 
an  end  to  the  difficulties  in  that  region.  In  the  year 
1860  John  Myers  Harris,  an  English  trader,  had  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  country  between  the  Mano 
and  Sulima  Rivers  and  refused  to  acknowledge 
Liberia's  authority;  as  he  was  conducting  a  flagrant 
trade  in  contravention  of  Liberian  laws  of  commerce, 
President  Benson  sent  a  coast  guard  to  seize  two 
schooners,  the  Phoehe  and  Emily,  which  had  been 
consigned  to  him ;  the  seizure  was  made  between 
Cape  Mount  and  Mano  Point,  clearly  Liberian  terri- 
tory. It  is  curious  that  this  seizure  was  made  by  a 
Liberian  government  vessel,  the  Quail,  which  had 
been  a  gift  to  the  Republic  from  Great  Britain.  We 
have,  then,  a  vessel,  contributed  through  British  sym- 
pathy,  operating   within    an   area   secured    through 


102  LIBERIA. 

British  philanthropy,  against  law-breaking  indulged 
in  by  British  subjects.  The  captured  schooners  were 
taken  to  Liberia  and  were  held  for  legal  adjudica- 
tion; under  the  orders  of  the  Sierra  Leone  Govern- 
ment, the  British  gunboat,  Torch,  appeared  at  Mon- 
rovia, and  seized  the  two  schooners  by  force  on  De- 
cember 17 ;  at  the  same  time  the  commander  of  this 
gunboat  demanded  from  the  Liberian  Government  a 
penalty  of  fifteen  pounds  per  day  for  nineteen  days' 
detention.  Shortly  after  these  events.  President 
Benson,  on  his  way  to  England  for  public  business, 
visited  the  government  of  Sierra  Leone  and  tried  to 
adjust  the  difficulties  which  had  arisen;  he  was, 
however,  referred  to  London.  At  about  this  time 
part  of  the  disputed  territory  was  annexed  by  Sierra 
Leone  to  her  own  area.  While  in  London,  Benson 
took  up  the  matter  with  the  British  Government. 
Lord  Russell  acknowledged  the  territorial  rights  of 
Liberia  to  extend  from  the  coast  east  of  Turner  Point 
(Mattru)  to  the  San  Pedro  River  on  the  east,  thus 
admitting  the  point  for  which  Liberia  contended. 
This  decision  was  by  no  means  satisfactory  to  the 
troublers  in  Africa.  Harris  agitated  the  matter  in 
dispute.  Backed  by  Governor  Hall  of  Sierra  Leone, 
he  and  neighboring  traders  protested  against  the  con- 
cession Russell  had  made.  A  commission  was  there- 
fore appointed  and  met  at  Monrovia  April  25,  1863, 
continuing  in  session  until  May  4,  when  it  adjourned 
without  decision.  The  British  Commissioners  exam- 
ined the  title  deeds  held  by  Liberia  and  were  inclined 
to  recognize  some  of  these  and  to  refuse  others;  they 
objected  to  Liberia's  possessing  any  territory  beyond 
the  Mano  River,  and  proposed  that  river  as  the 
boundary.  The  Liberian  Commissioners  demurred, 
urging  the  validity  of  the  deeds  they  showed  and  pro- 
posing that  the  Sherbro  should  be  their  northwest 
boundary;  they  asserted  a  good  title  to  the  terri- 
tories known  as  Cassee,  Gumbo,  and  Muttru.  The 
British  Commissioners  based  their  claims  upon  let- 
ters from  the  chiefs  of  the  territories  involved  and  on 


PROBLEMS.  103 

statements  which  they  asserted  had  been  made  by 
them.  The  Commission  broke  up  without  a  settle- 
ment, as  the  Liberians  held  strictly  to  the  conces- 
sion which  Lord  Russell  had  previously  made.  Lon- 
don, however,  yielding  to  the  colonial  pressure,  re- 
gretted that  no  solution  had  been  reached,  and 
claimed  that  it  was  "justified  in  view  of  the  facts" 
in  only  recognizing  Liberia's  sovereignty  over 
Sugaree.  The  closing  episode  in  this  exchange  of 
views  was  the  sending  of  a  letter  by  Dr.  Blyden,  who 
was  then  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Republic,  which 
ran  as  follows :  ' '  The  President  is  equally  grieved 
that  the  oral  statements  of  barbarous  and  heathen 
chiefs  on  a  subject  affecting  the  prosperity  of  a  rising 
Christian  state  should  be  regarded  by  Her  Majesty's 
Government  as  entitled  to  more  weight  than  the 
statements  of  Christian  men  supported  by  written 
documents  and  by  the  known  local  conduct  of  the 
chiefs  towards  the  Liberian  Government  since  the 
cession  of  their  territories  until  very  recently." 

As  might  be  expected,  the  troubles  did  not  cease. 
Traders  continued  to  smuggle ;  local  chiefs  continued 
to  harass ;  shipping  continued  to  bid  defiance  to 
Liberian  laws;  vessels  continued  to  be  seized;  threats 
continued  to  be  made.  Harris  began  to  act  almost  as 
if  he  were  an  independent  chief  within  this  terri- 
tory; there  were  various  tribes  about  him,  and  some 
of  them  were  inclined  to  resist  his  exactions;  dis- 
putes with  him  aroused  the  Vai  to  undertake  repri- 
sals; Harris  organized  the  Gallinhas  peoples  in  an 
attack  upon  the  Vai;  the  Liberian  Government  sent 
forces  in  1869  to  aid  the  Vai,  who  were  loyal  to 
them.  The  Gallinhas  natives  were  defeated,  fled,  and 
in  their  rage  turning  on  Harris,  destroyed  one  of  his 
factories;  this  of  course  gave  him  a  basis  for  new 
claims  for  damages.  On  this  military  expedition 
some  property  had  been  destroyed  or  confiscated. 
Thus  new  difficulties  grew  up;  there  were  occasional 
seizures,  retaliatory  threats,  demands  for  damages, 
shows  of  force.     Naturally,  the  hostile  chiefs  living 


104  LIBERIA. 

in  the  Mano  District,  encouraged  by  the  unsettled 
conditions,  raided  and  destroyed  Liberian  settle- 
ments; things  presently  were  critical,  and  in  1871 
another  expedition  was  despatched  by  the  Liberian 
Government  into  Mano  and  Sulima;  property  was 
destroyed,  including  powder  and  goods  belonging  to 
British  owners ;  the  usual  demands  for  damages  were 
made,  and  these  demands  known  as  the  ' '  Mano  River 
Claims"  were  pending  until  1882. 

Between  the  constant  pushing  of  the  "Harris 
Claims"  and  the  "Mano  River  Claims,"  things 
finally  came  to  a  head  in  December,  1878.  A  new 
commission  was  then  appointed  which  met  in  1879, 
first  at  Sierra  Leone,  then  at  Sulima;  Commodore 
Shufeldt,  of  the  American  navy,  was  chosen  as  an 
arbitrator  between  the  two  contestants.  The  "Harris 
Claims"  by  this  time  amounted  to  some  6000  pounds. 
The  conduct  of  Great  Britain  on  this  occasion  was 
supercilious.  The  Liberian  Commissioners,  after 
reaching  Sierra  Leone,  were  kept  waiting  for  three 
weeks  before  the  British  Commissioners  made  their 
appearance;  the  commissioners  examined  the  title 
deeds  of  the  Liberian  Government  and  took  oral  tes- 
timony of  witnesses  favorable  to  and  hostile  to  the 
Liberian  claims.  The  Liberians  claimed  the  terri- 
tories known  as  Sugaree,  Mano,  Rock  River,  and 
Sulima;  the  British  Commissioners  took  the  ground 
that  no  such  countries  were  in  existence.  The  meet- 
ing was  rather  stormy;  Shufeldt  reduced  the  "Har- 
ris Claims"  to  £3000,  but  the  British  Commissioners 
were  not  inclined  either  in  this  matter  or  in  others 
to  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  umpire;  finally  the 
Commission  broke  up  without  accomplishing  any 
good  results.  The  British  claimed  that  Sierra  Leone 
should  undertake  the  protectorate  of  the  whole  coun- 
try as  far  as  the  Mano  River,  as  they  said  Liberia 
was  unable  to  maintain  order  west  of  that  point. 
"Undoubtedly  they  were  unable  to  fight  British  trad- 
ers, since  every  time  they  used  force,  marine  or 
military,  the  said  traders  were  able  to  command  the 


PROBLEMS.  105 

armed  interference  of  the  Sierra  Leone  Government. ' ' 
The  matter  was  again  referred  to  London;  nothing 
final  was  there  done. 

Matters  reached  a  crisis  when,  on  March  20,  1882, 
Sir  Arthur  Havelock,  governor  of  Sierra  Leone,  with 
four  gunboats  appeared  before  Monrovia  and  de- 
manded that  the  Republic  should  pay  an  indemnity  of 
£8,500  to  settle  all  outstanding  claims,  and  that  it 
should  accept  the  Maffa  River  as  a  boundary.  The 
Liberian  Government  yielded  to  these  insistent 
claims.  They  promised  to  pay  the  indemnity,  ad- 
mitted the  Mafta  River  as  a  temporary  boundary, 
and  agreed  to  receive  from  Great  Britain  a  money 
payment  in  return  for  what  she  had  expended  for 
the  purchase  of  the  disputed  territory.  Before  the 
Liberian  Government  yielded,  she  set  up  a  statement 
of  her  own  position  which  was  just  and  dignified. 
As  soon  as  the  action  of  the  government  was  known 
at  Monrovia,  Havelock  having  returned  to  Sierra 
Leone,  violent  hostility  arose;  the  Senate  rejected 
the  treaty;  the  Liberians  asked  that  the  whole  mat- 
ter be  submitted  to  arbitration.  On  September  7, 
Sir  Arthur  Havelock  again  appeared  with  gunboats, 
demanding  immediate  ratification  of  the  treaty. 
Liberia  again  raised  her  defense :  "If  the  contested 
territory  was  British,  why  did  the  British  Govern- 
ment claim  from  Liberia  an  indemnity  for  acts  of 
violence  amongst  the  natives  which  had  taken  place 
thereon?  If,  however,  Liberia  acknowledged  her  re- 
sponsibility, as  she  had  done,  and  agreed  to  pay  an 
indemnity,  why  should  she  be  in  addition  deprived 
of  territories  for  the  law  and  order  of  which  she 
was  held  responsible,  and  which  were  hers  by  acts 
of  purchase  admitted  by  the  British  Government?" 
The  Senate  again  refused  to  ratify  the  treaty.  Sir 
Arthur  Havelock  sailed  away;  but  in  March,  1883, 
the  Sierra  Leone  Government  seized  the  territories 
in  question  between  Sherbro  and  the  Mano  River, 
territories  which  from  first  to  last  had  cost  Liberia 
£20,000.     The  whole  matter  was  finally  settled  by  a 


106  LIBERIA. 

treaty  signed  at  London,  Nov.  11,  1885,  whereby 
the  river  Mano  was  admitted  to  be  the  western 
boundary;  a  badly  defined  interior  line  was  agreed 
upon ;  a  repayment  of  £4750  of  purchase  money  was 
made  to  Liberia. 

THE   KANRE-LAHUN   AFFAIR. 

The  next  act  of  serious  aggression  on  the  part  of 
Great  Britain  grew  out  of  the  bad  definition  of  the 
interior  boundary  by  the  treaty  of  1885.  The  Mano 
River  had  been  recognized  as  the  boundary  between 
Sierra  Leone  and  Liberia.  The  question  now  arose 
as  to  whether  the  two  parties  enjoyed  equal  rights  of 
freedom  on  the  river.  The  Liberian  Government  at- 
tempted to  secure  to  Liberian  traders  and  to 
foreigners  resident  in  Liberia  the  rights  to  free  navi- 
gation on  the  river  without  subjection  to  the  payment 
of  customs  dues  and  other  charges  to  the  Sierra  Leone 
Government,  The  matter  became  of  sufficient  conse- 
quence to  call  for  a  commission  in  the  year  1901. 
Three  Liberians,  among  them  Arthur  Barclay,  then 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  (later  President  of  the 
Republic),  were  appointed;  the  meeting  was  held  in 
London  and  led  to  the  following  memorandum  of 
agreement  between  His  Majesty's  Government  and 
the  Liberian  Republic. 

1.  His  Majesty's  Government  are  prepared  to 
accede  to  the  requests  of  the  Liberian  Government 
that  a  British  officer  should  be  deputed  to  demarcate 
the  Anglo-Liberian  Boundary. 

2.  They  are  also  ready  to  lend  the  services  of  a 
British  officer  for  employment  by  the  Liberian  Gov- 
ernment in  the  demarcation  of  the  Franco-Liberian 
Boundary  whenever  the  Liberian  Government  shall 
have  made  an  arrangement  with  the  French  Govern- 
ment for  such  demarcation. 

3.  The  Liberian  Government  undertakes  to  repay 
to  His  Majesty's  Government  the  whole  of  any  cost 
incurred  by  them  in  connection  with  the  survey  and 
demarcation  of  the  Anglo-Liberian  Frontier. 


PROBLEMS.  107 

4.  His  Majesty's  Government  are  willing  that,  in 
lieu  of  the  Governor  of  Sierra  Leone  acting  as  British 
Consul  to  Liberia,  arrangements  shall  be  made  where- 
by some  other  British  olficer  shall  be  Consul  in  the 
Republic. 

5.  His  Majesty's  Government  undertakes  the 
survey  of  the  Kru  Coast,  provided  the  Liberian  Gov- 
ernment will  throw  open  to  foreign  trade  the  native 
ports  on  the  coast. 

6.  With  regard  to  the  navigation  on  the  Mano 
River,  His  Majesty's  Government  are  prepared  to 
permit  the  Government  of  the  Liberian  Republic  and 
its  citizens  to  trade  on  that  river,  provided  that  it 
is  not  to  be  considered  actual  right,  and  if,  in  return, 
the  Government  of  Sierra  Leone  is  allowed  to  con- 
nect by  bridges  and  ferries  the  two  banks  of  the  river 
with  any  roads  or  trade-routes  in  the  neighborhood. 

7.  The  Government  of  the  Liberian  Republic  have 
expressed  a  desire  for  closer  union  with  Great  Bri- 
tain: His  Majesty's  Government  are  actuated  by 
the  most  friendly  feelings  toward  the  Republic;  and 
with  the  view  of  meeting  their  wishes  in  this  respect, 
so  far  as  it  is  consistent  with  the  declaration  made 
by  His  Majesty's  government  in  connection  with 
other  powers,  will  at  all  times  be  ready  to  advise 
them  in  matters  affecting  the  welfare  of  Liberia,  and 
to  confer  with  the  Government  of  the  Republic  as 
to  the  best  means  of  securing  its  independence  and 
the  integrity  of  its  territory. 

When  this  agreement  was  submitted  to  the  Senate 
of  Liberia  for  ratification,  they  made  the  following 
amendments : 

Section  1.  Amended  to  read,  that  the  Liberian 
Government  shall  depute  an  officer  or  officers  to  be 
associated  with  the  British  officer  in  demarcating  the 
Anglo-Liberian  Boundary. 

Section  2.  Amended  to  read,  that  the  Liberian 
Government  shall  depute  an  officer  or  officers  to  be 
associated  with  the  British  and  French  officers  in 
demarcating  the  Franco-Liberian  Frontier. 


108  LIBERIA. 

Section  5.  The  Senate,  not  perceiving  the  advis- 
ability of  throwing  the  coast  open  for  the  present,  is 
under  the  necessity  of  withholding  its  vote  in  favor 
of  this  section. 

Section  7.  Amended  to  read,  "One  bridge  at  the 
place  where  the  Liberian  Customs  House  is  now 
erected,  and  one  ferry  at  the  place  where  the  second 
Liberian  Customs  House  may  hereafter  be  erected; 
that  said  bridge  and  ferry  will  be  accessible  to  the 
citizens  of  the  Liberian  Government  without  any  re- 
strictions or  extra  toll,  or  charges,  more  than  is 
required  to  be  paid  by  the  subjects  of  His  Majesty's 
Government. 

The  British  Government  left  the  settlement  of  the 
details  of  that  portion  of  the  agreement  which  had 
reference  to  the  navigation  of  the  Mano  River  to  be 
settled  between  the  Liberian  Government  and  the 
Government  of  Sierra  Leone.  The  colonial  govern- 
ment imposed  such  restrictions  that  no  understand- 
ing was  ever  arrived  at.  However,  a  joint  commis- 
sion for  the  demarcation  of  the  Anglo-Liberian  fron- 
tier was  appointed  and  in  1903  proceded  with  its 
work.  In  due  time  the  boundary  was  satisfactorily 
settled  by  this  commission.  This  boundary,  however, 
very  soon  gave  rise  to  a  serious  difficulty  and  to  a 
flagrant  aggression.  By  the  delimitation,  the  town 
and  district  of  Kanre-Lahun  fell  to  Liberia;  Colonel 
Williams,  the  Liberian  Commissioner,  hoisted  the 
Liberian  flag  at  that  town  which,  at  the  time,  was 
occupied  by  a  detachment  of  the  Sierra  Leone  Fron- 
tier Force;  curiously  enough,  the  British  force  was 
not  withdrawn. 

In  1904  the  British  Government  complained  to  the 
Liberian  Government  that  the  Kissi  were  making 
raids  into  British  territory  in  consequence  of  a  war 
between  Fabundah,  a  chief  of  the  Kanre-Lahun  Dis- 
trict, and  Kah  Furah,  a  Kissi  chief,  and  asked  per- 
mission for  the  entrance  of  British  troops  into  Li- 
berian territory  for  the  purpose  of  repressing  the 
disorder  which,  it  was  said,  threatened  British  inter- 


PROBLEMS.  109 

ests.  The  request  was  granted;  British  troops  ad- 
vanced to  the  Mafisso  where  they  established  a  post. 
In  November  the  British  Viee-Consul  sent  word  to 
the  President  of  Liberia  saying  that  the  chief  Kah 
Furah  had  been  driven  out  of  the  Kissi  country, 
and  that  the  people,  at  the  invitation  of  the  military 
authorities,  had  elected  a  new  chief,  and  had  pledged 
themselves  not  to  receive  Kah  Furah  among  them 
again.  The  Liberian  Government  assumed  that  the 
matter  was  at  an  end  and  that  the  British  force  had 
been  withdrawn.  In  1906  Mr.  Lomax,  the  Liberian 
Commissioner  for  the  French  frontier,  was  instructed 
to  proceed  to  this  point;  he  reached  Kanre-Lahun  in 
December,  and  found  Waladi,  a  town  in  Liberian  ter- 
ritory, garrisoned  by  a  Sierra  Leone  force.  While 
Mr.  Lomax  was  at  Kanre-Lahun,  complaints  were 
made  against  him  by  the  Chief  Fabundah  and  others. 
These  complaints  were  examined  in  the  presence  of 
Governor  Probyn,  Sir  Harry  Johnston,  Mr.  Lamont, 
and  leading  military  officers,  and  Mr.  Lomax  justi- 
fied himself  completely,  except  in  a  single  case  where 
damages  of  five  pounds  were  suggested  and  paid. 
Later  on,  British  officers  sent  in  complaints  that  the 
escort  with  Mr,  Lomax  were  plundering  the  country. 
It  was  imposible  in  such  districts  and  under  such  cir- 
cumstances to  prevent  some  petty  thieving.  Mr. 
Lomax,  however,  accepted  the  complaints  and  paid 
the  damages  claimed.  "With  a  view  to  permanently 
settling  the  country  under  Liberian  rule,  Mr.  Lomax 
ordered  a  local  election  to  be  held.  Three  chiefs  were 
chosen — Fabundah  for  the  lower  section,  Gardi  for 
the  Bombali  section,  and  Bawma  for  the  Gormah  sec- 
tion. Fabundah,  who  before  had  been  exercising 
jurisdiction  over  the  Bombali,  was  dissatisfied.  The 
Sierra  Leone  authorities  promised  to  support  him 
against  the  Liberian  Government;  they  placed  a 
frontier  force  at  his  disposal  for  the  purpose  of  ruin- 
ing the  chiefs  who  were  favorable  to  Liberian  con- 
trol or  who  had  received  commissions  from  the  Presi- 
dent; efforts  to  arouse  opposition  and  dissatisfaction 


110  LIBERIA. 

were  made ;  Lomax  was  hounded  from  the  district ; 
the  chief,  Gardi,  was  driven  from  the  country,  his 
town  was  plundered,  and  his  brother  made  a  prisoner 
in  Kanre-Lahun. 

In  1908  attempts  had  been  made  in  Europe  to  settle 
difficulties  pending  with  Great  Britain  and  France. 
Mr.  F.  E.  R.  Johnson,  the  Liberian  Secretary  of  State, 
who  had  been  sent  to  arrange  these  matters,  found 
conditions  threatening.  In  London  the  British  Gov- 
ernment stated  that  it  had  no  designs  against  Liberia, 
but  that  they  believed  the  French  were  planning 
encroachment,  and  that,  if  Liberia  lost  territory  to 
France,  Great  Britain  would  find  it  necessary  to  take 
a  new  piece  of  territory  contingent  to  Sierra  Leone 
in  her  own  defense.  Matters  appeared  so  serious  that 
President  Barclay  was  advised  to  come  to  Europe 
himself ;  he  arrived  in  London  on  the  29th  of  August, 
accompanied  by  T.  McCants  Stewart,  and  there  met 
Mr.  Johnson.  He  told  the  British  Government  of  his 
fears  regarding  further  aggression  upon  Liberian 
territory  and  expressed  the  desire  that  Great  Britain 
and  America  should  .jointly  guarantee  the  inde- 
pendence and  territorial  integrity  of  the  Republic. 
The  reply  was  that  Great  Britain  would  on  no  account 
enter  into  any  such  guarantee;  if  the  Liberian  Grov- 
ernment  obtained  a  settled  frontier  with  France,  and 
inaugurated  certain  reforms,  there  would  be  little 
danger  of  any  one 's  troubling  it ;  if  the  reforms 
desired  by  England  were  not  undertaken,  nothing 
would  save  it  from  the  end  which  threatened.  At 
the  same  time  London  refused  to  treat  of  the  Kanre- 
Lahun  and  Mano  River  difficulties  until  after  the 
troubles  with  France  had  been  arranged.  In  France, 
as  will  be  shortly  seen,  the  Liberian  envoys  met  with 
no  success;  a  treaty  was  indeed  arranged  by  means 
of  which  the  Republic  was  robbed  of  a  large  amount 
of  valuable  territory.  The  envoys  were  again  in 
London  in  September  to  take  up  the  matters  of  the 
Kanre-Lahun  and  Mano  River  negotiations.  The 
British  officials  now  demanded  that  Fabundah  should 


PROBLEMS.  Ill 

come  entirely  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  British 
Government,  and  that  the  frontier  line  on  the  north- 
west should  be  so  altered  as  to  place  his  territory 
within  the  British  colony;  the  area  thus  demanded 
contained  something  like  250  square  miles  of  terri- 
tory. At  no  time  had  the  area  actually  in  charge  of 
Fabundah  amounted  to  any  such  quantity ;  the  Libe- 
rians  demurred  at  the  largeness  of  the  territorial 
claim — the  British  officials  themselves  stated  that 
they  were  surprised  at  its  extent,  but  insisted  upon 
receiving  the  entire  amount.  No  decision  was  actu- 
ally reached,  the  matter  being  postponed  until  the 
delimitation  of  the  new  Franco-Liberian  boundary 
should  be  achieved. 

Great  Britain's  claim  to  this  region  was  based  upon 
the  flimsiest  pretext.  It  is  true  that  she  had  had 
relations  with  Fabundah  before  the  boundary  had 
been  delimited ;  it  is  true  that,  previous  to  that  date, 
she  had  had  a  force  in  Kanre-Lahun ;  however,  when 
the  boundary  was  actually  fixed,  Kanre-Lahun  was 
clearly  within  Liberian  territory,  and  no  objection 
whatever  was  made  to  the  Republic's  taking  posses- 
sion and  to  the  withdrawal  of  the  Sierra  Leone  force. 
When,  later  on.  Great  Britain  sent  soldiers  into  the 
area,  it  was  done  on  the  pretext  that  intertribal  diffi- 
culties in  the  region  threatened  British  interests ;  per- 
mission was  given  as  a  favor  to  Great  Britain  and 
with  the  expectation  that,  as  soon  as  the  difficulty 
had  been  adjusted,  the  British  force  would  be  with- 
drawn. Such  was  not  the  case ;  once  in  Kanre-Lahun, 
it  remained  there ;  Major  Lomax  was  hounded  from 
the  country;  the  Liberian  customs  officer,  Mr. 
Hughes,  was  ordered  to  abandon  his  post  of  duty  and 
to  surrender  the  customs  house  to  the  British  com- 
mander. This  act  of  occupation  was  bad  enough ; 
but  soon  Great  Britain  demanded  that  the  army  of 
occupation  should  be  paid  by  the  Liberian  Govern- 
ment before  it  would  evacuate  the  district;  no  such 
understanding  had  been  arranged,  and  the  claim  was 
unjustified  and  ridiculous ;  the  frontier  force  of  Sierra 


112  LIBERIA. 

Leone  was  not  increased,  nor  put  to  any  extra 
expense  in  the  matter.  In  asking  for  a  new  boundary 
line  which  should  cut  out  Fabundah's  territory, 
flagrant  injustice  was  committed;  it  is  true  that  the 
boundary  which  had  been  arranged  cut  the  land  con- 
trolled by  the  chief;  about  one-twenty-fifth  of  his 
territory  was  on  the  British  side,  the  remaining 
twenty-four-twenty-fifths  being  in  Liberia;  if  a  new 
line  were  to  be  drawn,  it  should  have  given  the  one- 
twenty-fifth  to  Liberia  and  reduced  the  Sierra  Leone 
territory.  The  matter  dragged  along  for  months. 
December  8,  1909,  President  Barclay  accepted  a 
proposition  to  exchange  or  sell  the  district  in  dispute ; 
the  legislature  refused  to  accept  the  proposition.  In 
May,  1911,  however,  an  agreement  was  finally 
arranged ;  the  British  authorities  took  over  the 
Kanre-Lahun  District,  an  area  of  extraordinary 
wealth  and  dense  population ;  in  return  for  this  valu- 
able and  most  needed  area,  Liberia  received  a  piece 
of  country  lying  between  the  Morro  and  Mano  Riv- 
ers, which  had  formerly  been  a  part  of  the  Colony  of 
Sierra  Leone ;  this  territory  is  almost  without  popula- 
tion, densely  forested,  and  practically  Avorthless. 
Even  so,  it  is  little  likely  that  the  Republic  will  be 
left  in  peaceful  possesison  of  it.  On  some  pretext, 
in  the  future.  Great  Britain  will  no  doubt  regain  it. 

THE   FRENCH   BOUNDARY   QUESTION. 

When  Maryland  was  added  to  the  Liberian  Repub- 
lic, it  possessed  lands  acquired  by  deeds  of  purchase 
and  treaties  as  far  east  as  the  San  Pedro  River,  sixty 
miles  east  of  the  Cavalla;  this  country  was  occupied 
by  Kru  tribes,  and  its  eastern  boundary  practically 
marked  their  limit;  it  was  hence  not  only  a  geo- 
graphical, but  an  ethnographical  boundary.  For 
years  no  one  questioned  Liberia's  right  to  the  whole 
area,  and  on  maps  and  in  repeated  descriptions  of  the 
country  its  rights  were  recognized.  In  1885,  how- 
ever, the  French  Government  claimed  that  the  French 
possessions   extended   continuously   from   the   Ivory 


PROBLEMS.  113 

Coast  westward  beyond  the  Cavalla  River  and  Cape 
Palmas  as  far  as  Garawe;  at  the  same  time  it  sug- 
gested certain  shadowy  claims  to  Cape  Mount,  Grand 
Bassa,  and  Grand  Butu; — in  other  words,  points  at 
intervals  along  the  whole  coast  of  the  Liberian  Re- 
public ;  these  claims  were  based  on  agreements  stated 
to  have  been  drawn  up  between  native  chiefs  and  the 
commanders  of  war  vessels.  In  1891  the  French 
Government  officially  communicated  to  Great  Britain 
her  intention  of  taking  possession  of  and  administer- 
ing the  district  mentioned  as  far  as  Garawe ;  she 
modified  her  claim,  however,  in  such  a  way  as  to 
extend  her  rights  only  to  the  Cavalla  River.  In  1891 
a  French  commissioner  was  authorized  to  treat  with 
Liberia  in  this  matter.  He  claimed  that  the  French 
had  deeds  to  Grand  Cesters,  dating  to  1788,  and  to 
Garawe,  dating  to  1842 ;  he  referred  to  other  shadowy 
rights  and  mentioned  treaties  which,  he  asserted, 
chiefs  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Cavalla  and  San 
Pedro  Rivers  had  made  with  French  authorities; 
asked  to  produce  these  documents,  he  admitted  that 
he  did  not  have  them  with  him.  The  French  Govern- 
ment asked  that  Liberia  should  recognize  the  right  of 
France  from  the  Cavalla  River  to  the  San  Pedro,  say- 
ing that,  if  this  recognition  were  granted,  they  might 
not  revive  their  old  claims.  Liberia  urged  that  the 
treaty  formed  with  her  by  the  French  Government 
in  1852  clearly  recognized  her  rights  to  the  region  in 
question ;  a  French  war  map,  dated  1882,  was  shown, 
on  which  Liberia's  area  was  clearly  shown  to  extend 
to  the  San  Pedro  River;  at  the  same  time  Liberia 
asked  that  the  whole  matter  should  be  referred  to 
arbitration.  Arbitration  was  refused ;  a  treaty  drawn 
up  by  France  was  offered  for  approval  in  August, 
1892;  the  Liberian  legislature  refused  absolutely  to 
ratify  it,  and  the  Liberian  Government  appealed  to 
the  United  States  for  assistance  and  advice.  The 
country  was  greatly  aroused  over  the  manifest  injus- 
tice of  its  powerful  neighbor.     Especially  in  Mary- 


114  LIBERIA. 

land,  feeling  ran  high.     A  printed  appeal  was  issued 
to  the  world.     In  it  occurs  the  following  passage: 

"We  appeal  to  all  the  civilized  nations  of  the 
world. — Consider,  we  pray  you,  the  situation.  Hav- 
ing been  carried  away  into  slavery,  and,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  returned  from  exile  to  our  father- 
land, are  we  now  to  be  robbed  of  our  rightful  inherit- 
ance? Is  there  not  to  be  a  foot  of  land  in  Africa, 
that  the  African,  whether  civilized  or  savage,  can 
call  his  own?  It  has  been  asserted  that  the  race  is 
not  capal)le  of  self-government,  and  the  eyes  of  many 
are  watching  the  progress  of  Liberia  with  a  view  to 
determining  that  (luestion.  We  only  ask,  in  all  fair- 
ness, to  be  allowed  just  what  any  other  people  would 
require — free  scope  for  operation.  Do  not  wrest  our 
territory  from  us  and  hamper  us  in  our  operations, 
and  then  stigmatize  the  race  with  incapacity,  because 
we  do  not  work  miracles.  Give  us  a  fair  chance,  and 
then  if  we  utterly  fail,  we  shall  yield  the  point.  We 
pray  you,  the  civilized  and  Christian  nations  of  the 
world,  to  use  your  influence  in  our  behalf.  We  have 
no  power  to  prevent  this  aggression  on  the  part  of  the 
French  Government :  but  we  know  that  we  have  right 
on  our  side,  and  are  willing  to  have  our  claims  to  the 
territory  in  question  examined.  We  do  not  consent  to 
France's  taking  that  portion  of  our  territory  lying 
between  the  Cavalla  and  San  Pedro  Rivers ;  nor  do  we 
recognize  its  claims  to  points  on  our  Grain  Coast 
which,  as  shown  above,  our  government  has  been  in 
possession  of  for  so  long.  We  protest,  too,  against 
that  government's  marking  off  narrow  limits  of 
interior  land  for  us.  We  claim  the  right  to  extend 
as  far  interiorward  as  our  necessities  require.  We 
are  not  foreigners:  we  are  Africans,  and  this  is 
Africa.  Such  being  the  case,  we  have  certain  natural 
rights — God-given  rights — to  this  territory  which  no 
foreigners  can  have.  We  should  have  room  enough, 
not  only  for  our  present  population,  but  also  to  afford 
a  home  for  our  brethren  in  exile  who  may  wish  to 
return  to  their  fatherland  and  help  us  to  build  up  a 


PROBLEMS.  115 

negro  nationality.  We  implore  you,  the  civilized  and 
Christian  nations  of  the  world,  to  use  your  influence 
to  have  these,  our  reasonable  requirements  secured  to 
us."  But  neither  the  official  appeal  to  the  United 
States  nor  the  unofficial  appeal  to  the  Christian 
nations  of  the  world  availed.  France  seized  the  ter- 
ritory and  threatened  to  refuse  to  recognize  rights 
beyond  Grand  Cesters  on  the  seaboard,  and  Boporo  in 
the  interior.  After  fruitless  remonstrance,  the  Re- 
public was  forced  to  yield  and  a  treaty  was  accepted 
on  December  8,  1892.  By  it  the  Cavalla  River  was 
recognized  as  the  boundary  between  France  and 
Liberia,  from  its  mouth  "as  far  as  a  point  situated  at 
a  point"  about  twenty  miles  south  of  its  confluence 
with  the  River  "Fodedougouba"  at  the  intersection 
of  the  parallel  6°  30'  north  and  the  Paris  meridian 
9°  12'  west;  thence  along  6°  30'  as  far  as  10°  west, 
with  the  proviso  that  the  basin  of  the  Grand  Cesters 
River  should  belong  to  Liberia  and  the  basin  of  the 
Fodedougouba  to  France;  then  north  along  10°  to  8° 
north ;  and  then  northwest  to  the  latitude  of  Tembi 
Kunda  (supposed  8°  35'),  after  which  due  west  along 
the  latitude  of  Tembi  Kunda,  until  it  intersects  the 
British  boundary  near  that  place.  But  the  entire 
Niger  Basin  should  be  French ;  Bamaquilla  and 
Mahommadou  should  be  Liberian;  Mousardou  and 
Naalah,  French. 

LATER  FRENCH  DIFFICULTIES. 

Notwithstanding  this  delimitation,  difficulties  with 
the  French  continued.  In  1895  French  posts  along 
the  northern  border  began  to  croM^d  in  upon  the 
Republic.  The  town  of  Lola,  in  Liberia,  was  attacked 
by  Senegalese  soldiers ;  these  were  repulsed  and  two 
French  officers  were  killed.  Aggressions  continued 
until,  finally,  in  1903,  Liberia  begged  that  a  final 
delimitation  might  be  arranged,  as  the  old  had  proved 
completely  unsatisfactory.  In  1904  F.  E.  R.  John- 
son and  J.  J.  Dossen  were  sent  to  France  to  arrange 
matters.     On  their  way,  they  called  at  the  British 


116  LIBERIA. 

Foreign  Office  and  asked  their  aid  and  interest  in 
bringing  about  an  understanding.  Arrived  in  Paris, 
it  was  quickly  found  that  the  French  were  planning 
to  possess  themselves  of  all  the  territory  situated  in 
the  basin  of  the  Cavalla  and  the  Upper  St.  Paul's 
Rivers;  the  British  Foreign  Office  expressed  sym- 
pathy, but  did  nothing  more.  In  1905  several  efforts 
were  made  toward  bringing  about  an  agreement.  Dr. 
Blyden  was  sent  to  France,  but  accomplished  nothing ; 
in  November  Sir  Harry  Johnston  was  asked  to  treat 
with  the  French  Government  which,  however,  refused 
to  recognize  him  as  an  official  negotiator.  In  1907 
Secretary  Johnson  was  commissioned  to  treat  with 
the  French  Government,  but  found  its  attitude  most 
hostile  and  unfriendly.  President  Barclay  himself 
was  summoned  to  Europe;  taking  T.  McCants  Stew- 
art with  him,  they  joined  Johnson,  and  interviewed 
the  French  officials.  A  treaty  was  submitted  to  them 
by  which  Liberia  would  be  deprived  of  a  large  por- 
tion of  her  territory  situated  in  the  richest  and  most 
prosperous  districts  of  the  Republic.  It  was  in  vain 
that  the  Liberian  commissioners  remonstrated;  the 
French  were  inflexible.  The  English  Government  had 
refused  to  deal  with  the  commissioners  in  regard  to 
the  British  boundary  difficulty  until  they  had  come 
to  some  arrangement  with  France.  In  this  unhappy 
condition  of  affairs,  the  commissioners  decided  to 
consult  the  American  Ambassador  in  Paris;  they 
asked  that  the  United  States  should  assist  Liberia  and 
prevent  her  being  robbed  of  so  large  a  portion  of  her 
territory,  and  should  use  her  influence  in  bringing 
the  French  Government  to  submit  the  whole  matter  in 
dispute  to  arbitration.  Ambassador  White  replied 
that  he  doubted  whether  the  United  States  would  aid 
Liberia  in  this  crisis;  he  advised  President  Barclay 
to  accept  the  treaty,  urging  that,  if  he  failed  to  do  so, 
the  French  would  make  further  encroachments,  and 
the  Republic  would  meet  with  greater  losses.  As  the 
case  seemed  hopeless,  the  commissioners  accepted  the 
treaty.     It    involved    the    delimitation    of    a    fixed 


PROBLEMS.  117  '' 

boundary  by  an  international  commission.     Liberia  ^ 
engaged   two   Dutch   officials   as   her   commissioners. 

They  were  on  hand  ready  to  fix  the  boundary  in  Feb-  ; 

ruary,  1898,  but  were  kept  waiting  until  May  by  the  J 

dilatoriness  of  the  French  commissioners;  in  order  to  i 

have  a  permanent  boundary  fixed,  the  Republic  made  J 

great  concessions  and  lost  valuable  regions.     It  was  j 

willing,  however,  to  sacrifice  much  for  peace.  ! 

Of  course  the  sacrifice  was  without  result.    At  the  i 

present    time    the    whole    question    of    the    Franco-  ; 

Liberian  boundary  is  again  open,  and  from  the  points  i 

urged  by  the  French  Government  it  is  evident  that  ^ 

it   aims    at   new    acquisition   of   territory    and   new  I 

restriction  of  the  power  of  the  little  Republic,  ; 


We  stand  at  the  threshold  of  a  new  era;  new  political  theories 
are  being  advanced;  new  interpretations  are  being  given  to 
the  principles  of  international  law;  larger  fulfilments  of  na- 
tional obligations  are  being  required  of  individual  nations ;  new 
duties  are  being  thrust  upon  us.  They  cannot  be  shirked,  we 
must  keep  pace  with  world  requirements.  Regeneration  and 
reform  must  be  our  watchword.  The  people  must  see  that  they 
become  so.  The  process  must  operate  from  within  outwards, 
or  else  influences  from  without  will  compass  our  ruin. — E. 
Barclay. 

THE    FRONTIER   FORCE. 

When  President  Barclay  was  in  London,  the  Brit- 
ish Government  demanded  that  certain  internal 
reforms  should  take  place  in  the  Republic  before  it 
would  discuss  a  final  settlement  of  either  the  Mano 
River  or  Kanre-Lahun  difficulties.  Shortly  after 
the  President's  return  to  Monrovia,  Mr.  Braithwait 
Wallis,  Consul-General  of  Great  Britain  to  Liberia, 
issued  a  memorandum  on  the  subject — apparently 
under  the  fear  "lest  we  forget".  This  memorandum, 
which  bears  the  date  of  January  14,  1908,  occupies 
four  printed  pages,  and  condenses  into  that  brief 
space  an  astonishing  amount  of  venom  and  insolence. 
A  few  quotations  will  show  its  spirit : 

"Your  Excellency  will  remember  then  being 
informed  that  a  critical  moment  had  arrived  in  the 
history  of  the  Republic,  that  however  it  might  have 
been  twenty  or  even  ten  years  ago,  the  time  had  now 
gone  by  when  Liberia  could  re-enact  the  part  of  a 
hermit  kingdom,  and  that  she  must  not  lose  a  moment 
in  setting  herself  seriously  to  work  to  put  her  house 
in  order,  or  be  prepared  at  no  distant  date,  to  dis- 
appear from  the  catalogue  of  independent  countries. 
His  Majesty's  Government,  as  Your  Excellency  is 
aware,  have  absolutely  no  designs  against  either  the 

118 


PROBLEMS.  119 

independence  or  the  integrity  of  the  Republic.  Their 
only  desire  is  that  a  country  which,  on  one  of  its 
frontiers,  marches  with  an  important  British  Colony, 
and  with  which  not  only  that  Colony,  but  Great 
Britain  itself,  has  large  and  growing  commercial 
relations,  should  have  such  a  stable  or  effective  Gov- 
ernment as  will  conduce  to  its  own  prosperity,  and 
remove  any  danger  of  its  losing  its  independence. 
His  Majesty's  Government  do  not  consider  that  the 
Government  of  the  Republic  is  either  stable  or  effective. 
Improvement  has  indeed  resulted  from  the  appoint- 
ment of  two  Customs  Officers,  and  the  Customs  rev- 
enue of  the  country  has  largely  developed.  But  it  is 
also  considered  as  absolutely  essential,  if  such 
improvement  is  to  continue  and  to  extend  to  other 
branches  of  the  Government,  that  the  finances  of  the 
country  be  placed,  at  any  rate  for  the  time  being, 
in  the  hands  of  an  European  financial  expert,  and 
that  at  least  three  more  European  Customs  experts 
be  appointed.  And  further,  no  Government  can  be 
said  to  have  a  stable  basis,  when  it  is  without  any 
means  of  enforcing  its  authority.  His  Majesty's 
Government,  therefore,  considers  that  it  is  essential 
that  a  trustworthy  police,  under  European  officers, 
should  be  at  once  established.  With  regard  to  the 
appointment  of  a  financial  expert,  who  could  advise 
and  assist  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  in  the  finan- 
cial affairs  of  the  Country,  Mr.  Lamont  has  already 
been  appointed  Financial  Adviser  to  the  Republic. 
He  is,  however,  only  so  in  name,  but  should  now  be 
made  so  in  actual  fact.  His  Majesty's  Government 
further  consider  that  the  Liberian  judiciary  ought  to 
undergo  drastic  reform."  Mr.  Wallis  recapitulates 
the  reforms  demanded  in  the  following  statement : 
(a)  the  appointment  of  a  financial  expert,  who  will 
place  the  finances  of  the  country  on  a  sound  footing, 
and  will  advise  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  on 
financial  matters,  (b)  The  establishment  of  an  effi- 
cient, well  armed,  and  well  disciplined  police  force 
under  competent  European  Officers ;  and  one  that  will 


120  LIBERIA. 

command  the  respect  of  the  Powers,  (c)  The 
appointment  of  at  least  three  more  European  Cus- 
toms experts,  (d)  The  reform  of  the  judiciary.  "If 
the  Liberian  Government  carry  out  the  reforms  herein 
indicated  within  SIX  MONTHS,  counted  from  the 
date  of  Your  Excellency's  return  to  Monrovia  from 
England,  His  Majesty's  Grovernment  will  on  their 
side  be  happy  to  assist  in  carrying  them  into  effect 
in  the  same  way  as  they  have  recently  been  assisting 
in  the  work  of  re-organizing  the  Liberian  Customs. 
They  will  further  be  happy  to  suspend  pressing  the 
monetary  and  other  claims  which  they  have  against 
Liberia,  and  will  endeavor  to  come  to  a  settlement, 
on  a  mutually  satisfactory  basis,  on  the  long  out- 
standing question  of  the  navigation  of  the  Mano 
River  and  the  trouble  on  the  Anglo-Liberian 
Frontier. ' ' 

In  other  words,  Great  Britain  was  quite  willing  to 
assume  the  whole  running  of  Liberian  affairs;  she 
would  be  glad  to  manage  her  financial  matters,  to 
train  and  handle  her  frontier  force,  to  collect  her  cus- 
toms duties,  and  manage  them,  to  interfere  with,  and 
control  her  government  completely.  She  hinted  at 
what  she  might  do  if  these  reforms  were  not  carried 
into  effect;  she  ended  with  a  querulous  complaint 
regarding  advantages  which  German  shipping  was 
said  to  be  securing  to  the  disadvantage  of  British 
interests.  This  truly  extraordinary  document  was 
signed  in  the  following  highly  dignified  fashion : 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

with  great  truth  and  regard 

Sir, 

Your  Excellency's 

most  obedient, 

humble  servant, 

BRAITHWAIT  WALLIS, 
His  Britannic  Majesty's  Consul. 

One  of  the  cries  of  the  present  day  internationalism 
is  "effective  occupation".     It  is  only  as  a  country 


PROBLEMS.  121 

demonstrates  itself  able  to  protect  its  bordej's,  and  to 
maintain  peace  within  its  limits,  that  it  is  admitted 
to  justly  hold  its  territory;  there  are  some  strange 
features  involved  in  the  expression,  but  it  has  a  just 
foundation  and  is  at  present  generally  accepted.  It 
is  true,  if  Liberia  is  to  be  recognized  as  an  inde- 
pendent nation,  she  must  guard  her  borders,  must 
prevent  her  people  from  troubling  their  neighbors, 
must  protect  life  and  property  within  her  area.  There 
is  a  stipulation  in  the  French  treaty  of  1907  in  regard 
to  this  matter;  if  Liberia  cannot  maintain  a  frontier 
force  to  protect  her  boundary,  the  French  claim  the 
right  to  place  their  own  forces  on  Liberian  territory 
for  that  purpose;  the  English,  in  their  demanded 
reforms,  insist  upon  an  adequate  and  well  trained 
police  force  upon  the  frontier;  the  demands  are  not 
unjust  and  must  be  met.  In  fact,  the  frontier  force 
is  one  of  the  urgent  and  crying  needs  of  Liberia. 

While  President  Barclay  was  in  London,  he  was 
approached  by  Capt.  Mackay  Cadell,  who  had  served 
in  the  South  African  War;  Capt.  Mackay  Cadell 
desired  to  be  put  in  charge  of  the  frontier  force 
which  it  was  believed  that  Liberia  would  organize  in 
response  to  the  British  demands ;  he  was  not  actually 
engaged  by  the  President,  but  put  in  his  appearance 
in  January,  1908,  ready  for  business ;  his  employment 
was  opposed  by  many,  but  finally,  largely  in  order 
not  to  offend  British  susceptibilities,  he  was  engaged, 
given  the  rank  of  Major — some  question  has  been 
raised  as  to  exactly  how  he  came  to  carry  the  title 
captain — and  was  authorized,  with  the  help  of  two 
British  assistants,  to  organize  the  frontier  force ;  he 
was  also  given  authority  to  employ  ten  or  more 
sergeants  and  buglers  from  Sierra  Leone;  it  was 
naturally  assumed  that  the  force  in  general  would  be 
composed  of  Liberian  natives.  Major  Mackay  Cadell 
promptly  began  active  work;  barracks  were  erected 
upon  the  edge  of  Monrovia,  and  soon  250  men  were 
enrolled  for  service.  Their  uniforms,  arms,  and 
ammunition  were  bought  from  Great  Britain — so  that 


122  LIBERIA. 

the  whole  enterprise  was  good  for  British  trade;  it 
is  not  clear,  however,  why  the  caps  and  other  articles 
were  stamped  with  the  crown  and  other  emblems  of 
His  British  Majesty's  service.  Matters  were  going 
nicely,  but  it  began  to  be  suspected  that  a  consider- 
able number  of  the  new  soldiers  were  British  subjects, 
and  it  was  asked  whether  some  of  them  had  not 
served  upon  the  Sierra  Leone  frontier  force.  These 
suspicions  and  doubts  led  finally  to  a  protest  from 
the  French  Vice-Consul  who  claimed  that  the  force 
being  organized  was  actually  "a  British  army  of 
occupation"  which  the  Liberian  Government  was 
permitting  to  be  organized  in  Liberian  territory ;  he 
demanded  that  an  equal  number  of  French  officers 
and  of  French  subjects  be  added  to  the  force.  The 
Liberian  Government  inquired  of  Major  Maekay 
Cadell  with  reference  to  the  matter;  he  denied  that 
there  were  any  British  subjects  on  the  force,  and 
depending  on  his  answer,  the  Liberian  Government 
denied  the  fact  to  the  French  official.  Meantime, 
Major  Maekay  Cadell  was  making  himself  variously 
useful  to  the  Monrovia  city  government;  he  under- 
took without  compensation,  the  command  of  the  city 
police  force  as  chief  of  police;  in  place  of  the  loyal 
Kru  police,  he  put  in  Mende  soldiers  from  the  bar- 
racks; he  also  performed  the  functions  of  street  com- 
missioner, tax  collector,  city  treasurer,  and  other 
duties  until,  finally,  the  citizens  decided  to  dispense 
wnth  his  free  services ;  he  declined,  however,  to  resign, 
and  presented  a  large  bill  as  the  condition  upon 
which  he  would  deliver  up  the  city  property 
entrusted  to  him.  (We  quote  from  Ellis.)  On 
October  27th  IMajor  Maekay  Cadell  was  further  ques- 
tioned in  regard  to  the  composition  of  his  force,  and 
a  report  was  demanded;  it  was  then  found  that  at 
least  71  out  of  the  little  army  of  250  were  actually 
British  subjects ;  more  than  this,  no  doubt  many  of 
the  Mende  at  the  post,  who  were  classed  as  ''Liberi- 
ans",  really  came  from  the  portion  of  that  tribe 
residing  on  the  other  side  of  the  Sierra  Leone  bound- 


PROBLEMS.  123 

ary.  While  this  report  was  rendered.  Major  Maekay 
Cadell  showed  constant  objection  to  supervision  by 
the  President  of  the  Republic  and  to  any  suggestion 
of  control.  The  President  and  his  Cabinet,  after 
meeting  and  discussing  the  matter,  agreed  upon  the 
dismissal  of  Major  Maekay  Cadell.  but  out  of  courtesy 
gave  him  the  opportunity  of  resigning  his  position. 

The  French  Vice-Consul  continued  to  insist  on  his 
demands ;  understanding  that  Capt.  AVallis  had  given 
his  consent  to  the  appointment  of  French  officers  and 
subjects,  the  President  prepared  to  make  such 
appointments.  Just  at  this  juncture  Capt.  Wallis 
returned  from  an  absence,  and  at  his  own  request, 
on  November  13.  had  a  meeting  with  the  President 
and  the  members  of  the  Cabinet,  at  which  he  pre- 
sented to  them  what  purported  to  be  a  communication 
from  the  British  Government.  Some  mystery  seems 
to  be  associated  with  this  document,  but  it  is  under- 
stood that  its  effect  was  that,  if  Frenchmen  were 
appointed  to  the  direction  of  the  frontier  force,  and 
French  subjects  were  enlisted  in  it.  Great  Britain 
would  unite  with  France  to  disrupt  and  divide  the 
Republic.  In  December  the  legislature  demanded 
that  the  services  of  ]\Iajor  Maekay  Cadell  should  be 
dispensed  with.  He.  however,  hesitated  to  hand  in 
his  resignation.  The  legislature  ordered  a  complete 
re-organization  of  the  frontier  force  under  a  Liberian 
officer,  with  only  two  British  subjects  to  be  employed 
in  the  whole  organization — the  two  as.sistant  officers 
whom  Major  ]\Iaekay  Cadell  had  employed.  On 
February  1  the  ]\Iajor  sent  in  his  resignation.  Acting 
on  order  of  Consul-General  Wallis.  he  turned  over 
the  arms  and  ammunition  in  his  charge  to  the  Elder 
Dempster  Co..  and  announced  the  fact  to  the  Liberian 
Government :  at  the  same  time  Consul-General  Wal- 
lis  applied  for  an  official  guard  to  protect  the  prop- 
erty thus  placed  in  private  British  hands :  the  Secre- 
tary of  State,  F.  E.  R.  Johnson,  expressed  his 
surprise  that  a  consul,  without  consultation  with  the 
proper  Liberian  authorities,   should  order  property 


124  LIBERIA. 

belonging  to  Liberia  (although  payment  had  not  yet 
been  made  for  it)  to  be  turned  over  into  private 
hands,  and  refused  to  accept  the  responsibility  of 
placing  a  guard  in  charge.  On  February  11,  1909, 
Major  Mackay  Cadell  sent  a  remarkable  message  to 
President  Barclay,  informing  him  that  the  native 
soldiers  were  in  serious  danger  of  mutiny  on  account 
of  arrears  in  payments;  at  the  same  time  he  sent 
messages  to  the  two  houses  of  the  legislature,  request- 
ing that  the  men  be  permitted  to  appear  before  them 
and  state  their  grievances;  he  said  that,  if  some  re- 
dress were  not  given,  the  men  could  not  be  blamed  for 
what  might  be  done.  Steps  were  at  once  taken  for 
public  defense;  fortunately  some  400  of  the  militia 
were  in  Monrovia  for  quarterly  drill.  After  some 
seventy  soldiers  from  the  barracks  had  appeared 
upon  the  public  streets,  parading,  threatening  and 
menacing  the  seizure  of  the  arms  and  ammunition,  a 
force  was  sent  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  camp ; 
at  the  same  time,  notice  of  this  was  sent  to  Consul- 
General  Wallis.  Major  Mackay  Cadell  refused  to 
surrender,  making  conditions  which  would  involve 
several  days'  delay;  his  immediate  surrender,  how- 
ever, was  demanded,  and  other  militia  forces  were 
sent  for.  Notice  of  this  new  demand  was  sent  to 
Consul-General  Wallis  with  the  request  that  he  should 
order  British  subjects  out  of  the  camp ;  this  he  did ; 
Major  Mackay  Cadell  decided  to  capitulate ;  the  camp 
was  occupied.  At  a  court  of  inquiry  held  to  investi- 
gate the  difficulty,  the  British  sergeants  said  that 
Major  Mackay  Cadell  himself  had  instigated  the 
mutiny ;  that  he  had  selected  a  certain  number  of  men 
to  insult  the  President,  to  arrest  him,  and  take  him 
to  camp.  A  curious  fact  in  connection  with  this  whole 
extraordinary  procedure  is  that,  on  the  4th  of  Feb- 
ruary, one  week  before  the  President  of  the  Republic 
was  informed  of  the  danger  of  imminent  mutiny, 
notice  of  it  had  been  cabled  to  Great  Britain.  It  was 
perhaps  by  accident  that  a  British  gunboat  was  in  the 
harbor  on  the  10th,  the  day  before  the  outbreak — the 


PROBLEMS.  125 

name  of  this  gunboat,  by  the  way,  quite  appropri- 
ately was  the  Mutin.  In  closing  the  account  of  this 
strange  incident,  quotations  may  be  made  from  the 
official  report  of  the  American  Commission  which 
visited  Liberia  shortly  afterwards: 

"But  if  Major  Cadell  got  on  very  well  with  his 
troops,  he  got  on  very  badly  with  the  Liberian 
people  and  the  Liberian  Government.  He  was  a  man 
of  indomitable  energy,  but  guileless  of  tact.  His 
actions  on  various  occasions  affronted  the  Liberian 
officials.  Through  indifference  to  the  law,  or  by 
design,  he  enlisted  a  considerable  number  of  British 
subjects  among  the  troops,  about  one-fourth  of  his 
men  being  natives  of  Sierra  Leone.  When  called  to 
account  for  it,  he  at  first  denied  and  afterwards 
admitted  that  some  of  the  men  might  have  been  born 
in  Sierra  Leone,  but  that  he  supposed  them  to  be 
residents  of  Liberia,  and  therefore,  Liberians.  Being 
called  upon  to  dismiss  the  British  subjects,  he  neg- 
lected to  do  so.  About  the  beginning  of  the  present 
year  he  began  to  complain  that  his  men  were  not  paid, 
and  demanded  further  supplies  from  the  Govern- 
ment, though  he  was  very  dilatory  in  presenting 
accounts  for  the  money  already  entrusted  to  him. 
The  dissatisfaction  with  Major  Cadell 's  conduct  in 
matters  of  the  camp  led  to  the  passage  of  a  law  by 
the  Liberian  Legislature  in  January,  1909,  re-organ- 
izing the  force  and  dismissing  its  commander.  The 
President,  who  had  upheld  Major  Cadell,  offered  him 
an  opportunity  to  resign,  but  on  one  pretext  or 
another,  he  delayed  doing  so,  and  when  he  sent  in 
his  resignation,  the  Government  could  not  accept  it 
until  his  accounts  had  been  adjusted.  He  remained, 
in  the  meantime,  in  charge  of  the  command,  and  on 
February  11,  1909,  wrote  a  threatening  letter  to  the 
President,  in  which  he  stated  that,  if  the  demands  of 
the  troops  for  the  payment  of  money  due  them  were 
not  met  within  twenty-four  hours,  he  could  not  be 
responsible  for  the  maintenance  of  peace  or  for  the 
safety  of  the  President.     This  remarkable  letter  nat- 


126  LIBERIA. 

urally  created  much  excitement  in  Monrovia,  but  the 
situation  was  handled  with  extreme  adroitness  by  the 
Liberian  Government  which  demanded  that  Major 
Cadell  Mdthdraw  the  British  subjects  composing  his 
force,  and  that  he  turn  over  the  camp  to  the  Liberian 
authorities  who  would  deal  with  the  Liberian  sub- 
jects. This  order  was  reluctantly  obeyed  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  British  Consul-General,  and 
it  was  then  discovered  that  seventy-one  of  the  enlisted 
men  were  British  subjects.  Two  or  three  Aveeks 
afterwards,  after  settling  up  his  accounts,  whereby 
it  was  revealed  that  he  had  involved  the  Government 
in  a  considerable  unauthorized  debt,  he  sailed  for 
England  and  was  soon  followed  by  his  brother 
officers. ' ' 

Again : 

"On  February  4,  the  British  in  Monrovia  cabled 
to  the  Foreign  Office  that  the  lives  of  foreign  resi- 
dents in  Liberia  were  in  danger,  and  urged  that  a 
gunboat  be  sent  for  their  protection.  .  .  .  On 
February  10  the  British  gunboat  Mutin  appeared  and 
anchored  off  Monrovia.  On  February  11  and  12  Eng- 
land precipitated  the  rupture  of  the  Government.  But 
for  the  prompt  and  judicious  action  of  the  Liberian 
Executive,  aided  by  the  American  Minister  Resident, 
the  following  would  presently  have  been  the  situation : 
A  British  gunboat  in  the  harbor,  a  British  officer  in 
command  of  the  frontier  force,  and  a  large  number 
of  British  subjects  among  the  enlisted  men,  a  British 
ofificial  in  charge  of  the  Liberian  customs,  a  British 
officer  in  command  of  the  Liberian  gunboat  Lark,  a 
British  regiment  in  the  streets  of  Monrovia." 

The  fine  hand  of  Consul-General  Wallis  of  course  is 
evident  throughout  these  events.  How  seriously  he 
was  implicated  is  suggested  in  the  following  passage 
from  the  report  of  the  Commission :  "  It  is  most 
unfortunate  that  the  Commission  has  been  unable  to 
secure  an  account  of  these  events  from  the  principal 
British  actors  in  them.  When  we  reached  Monrovia, 
Major  Cadell  had  left  Liberia.     The  British  Consul- 


PROBLEMS.  127 

General  was  away  on  leave  of  absence.  We  were  the 
more  disappointed  in  not  meeting  the  latter,  as,  be- 
fore our  departure,  we  had  been  shown  in  the  State 
Department  at  Washington  a  despatch  of  the  Ambas- 
sador in  London,  stating  that  the  British  Foreign 
Office  there  had  instructed  its  representative  in  Mon- 
rovia to  give  the  American  Commission  the  fullest 
information  about  Liberian  affairs.  The  acting  Con- 
sul-General  had  no  knowledge  of  the  facts,  and  cov- 
ered his  obvious  embarrassment,  when  asked  to 
explain  some  of  them,  by  the  plea  that  he  had  no 
inside  information." 

It  has  been  said  that  the  British  Government 
admits  that  Consul-General  Wallis  went  beyond  his 
authority.  It  is,  however,  significant  that  he  was  not 
reduced  in  position ;  he  left  Liberia,  of  course — his 
usefulness  there  having  more  than  ended ;  but  he  was 
transferred  to  Dakar,  Senegal,  the  finest  consular 
post  in  all  West  Africa. 

As  for  Major  Mackay  Cadell,  he  now  poses  as 
Liberia's  real  and  great  friend;  he  has,  however, 
changed  his  name,  and  is  now  known  as  Major  R. 
Mackay-]\Iackay.  He  is  associated  with  the  Cavalla 
River  Co.,  Limited.  This  appears  to  be  a  strange 
mixture  of  a  commercial,  educational,  and  philan- 
thropical  character;  always,  however,  primarily 
exploitative.  Before  going  to  Liberia  in  connection 
with  his  duties  with  this  company,  Major  R.  Mackay- 
Mackay  traveled  in  the  United  States;  arrived  in 
Liberia,  he  gives  the  impression  that  the  State 
Departmeut  of  the  United  States  is  behind  his  enter- 
prise, and  that  Booker  T.  Washington  is  deeply 
interested  in  its  success.  He  throws  the  responsibility 
for  all  the  past  upon  those  ' '  higher  up " ;  it  seems 
that  personally  he  always  loved  Liberia  and  was  her 
friend.  When  he  passed  through  Monrovia  on  his 
way  down  to  the  Cavalla,  he  simply  showered  advice 
and  benevolence  along  his  path.  An  interview  with 
him  was  published  in  r/) e  6^?nV7c.  He  says:  "Liberia 
can  not  go  on  living  on  loans  as  in  the  past.     Why 


128  LIBERIA. 

should  she  be  dependent  on  gold  from  outside  when 
she  has  a  hundredfold  within  her  own  borders,  at  the 
very  door?  Standing  at  the  street  corners,  discuss- 
ing politics,  or  waiting  for  dollar-bills  to  grow  and 
fall  from  the  trees  around,  will  not  advance  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Republic,  nor  attract  the  genuine 
sympathy  and  co-operation  from  the  outside  world. 
Work!  work!  work!  that  is  what  Liberia  needs;  and 
there  are  those  who  are  prepared  to  create  the  oppor- 
tunity, provided  all  make  up  their  minds  to  work 
as  they  should.  Is  manual  labor  considered  a  dis- 
grace in  other  countries?  Why  should  it  be  in 
Liberia?" 

Also :  "I  am  here  on  a  visit  and  to  let  Liberia  know 
that  she  has  more  friends  than  she  counts  on;  and 
they  will  increase  in  proportion  to  her  efforts  to  help 
herself.  I  for  my  part  will  do  all  I  can  in  my  humble 
way  to  preach  'Liberia  regenerated'  to  all,  and  help 
where  I  can  without  treading  on  ground  other  than 
within  my  rights  as  a  visitor  and  friend."  Most 
touching,  however,  is  this:  "Yes"  (there  are  signs 
of  awakening),  ''since  my  return  I  see  the  most  won- 
derful strides  made  in  many  directions,  and  a  keen 
desire  in  the  citizens  of  the  wider  ideas  to  aid  in  their 
country's  advancement.  May  it  continue.  In  every 
season  is  some  victory  won.  Let  us  bury  the  past 
with  all  its  errors,  sadness,  and  regrets. ' ' 

It  is  sad  indeed  that  humanity  is  not  prone  to  bury 
the  past;  even  such  expressions  of  affection  may  be 
received  unkindly.  What  could  be  more  dreadful, 
when  a  man  oozes  philanthropy  from  every  pore,  than 
to  have  such  things  said  of  him  as  the  following 
which  appeared  about  that  time  in  Green's  paper, 
The  African  League? 

"Major  R.  Mackay-Mackay,  whose  name  stinks  in 
the  nostrils  of  all  country-loving  Liberians,  because 
of  his  conduct  when  in  command  of  our  frontier 
force,  is  back  in  Liberia  again,  this  time  at  the  head 
of  a  company  whose  procedure  thus  far  has  not 
inspired  the  strongest  confidence.    More  is  known  of 


PROBLEMS.  129 

this  intimacy  than  the  men  themselves  may  think. 
The  last  steamer  brought  intelligence  that  an  agent 
of  Major  Cadell's  company,  the  Cavalla  River  Co., 
Limited,  is  now  in  Sierra  Leone,  with  630  natives  of 
that  colony  who  are  to  be  brought  to  Cape  Palmas 
soon  to  serve  this  company.  It  is  very  strange  that 
thi^  company  finds  it  necessary  to  employ  natives 
from  the  colony  of  Sierra  Leone,  when  in  Liberia  is 
the  largest  market  for  unskilled  laborers  in  Western 
Africa,  supplying,  as  it  does,  most,  if  not  all,  of  that 
class  of  labor  employed  in  the  various  enterprises  in 
British,  French,  and  German  African  colonies.  We 
hope  this  is  no  new  coup." 

The  Frontier  Force  has  continued  in  its  develop- 
ment. The  present  plans  involve  the  organization 
of  a  battalion  of  600  men  under  a  major ;  each  of  the 
two  companies  of  300  soldiers  will  be  under  a  captain ; 
and  each  company  will  have  three  Liberian  lieuten- 
ants ;  the  three  chief  officers  will  be  Americans  loaned 
to  the  Liberian  Government  by  the  United  States. 
The  general  duties  of  the  force  will  be  those  of  a 
constabulary  for  the  maintenance  of  law  and  order 
throughout  the  Republic  and  for  the  prevention  and 
the  detection  of  crime;  it  will  also  be  used  as  a  cus- 
toms guard  in  such  numbers  and  at  such  places  as 
may  be  agreed  upon  by  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the 
general  receiver  of  customs.  Its  estimated  cost  for 
the  year  1913  was  $86,159.60.  The  American  officers 
arrived  in  the  Republic  in  the  spring  of  1912.  They 
were  Major  Ballard  and  Captains  Brown  and  New- 
ton. In  entering  upon  their  new  duties  of  developing 
and  organizing  the  Frontier  Force,  they  had  the  great 
advantage  of  the  advice  and  interest  of  Major  Charles 
Young  of  the  United  States  Army,  who  was  in  Mon- 
rovia as  military  attache  of  our  legation.  We  had 
ample  opportunity  of  investigating  this  Frontier 
Force.  It  is  composed  for  the  most  part  of  natives 
fresh  from  the  interior;  two  hundred  of  them  passed 
through  our  hands  for  examination  and  measure- 
ment; they  were  fine  fellows,  well  built  and  in  good 

9. 


130  LIBERIA. 

physical  condition;  few  of  them  understood  English, 
and  among  them  several  languages  were  represented; 
they  were  proud  of  their  position  and  anxious  to 
improve ;  they  were  easily  led,  particularly  by  officers 
who  treated  them  with  kindness;  we  saw  two  parties 
of  these  soldiers  started  off  for  service;  they  made  a 
good  appearance.  While  we  were  there — as  is  true 
indeed  much  of  the  time — their  payments  were 
behind,  and  they  were  expressing  some  dissatisfac- 
tion, but  were  easily  controlled;  there  is,  however, 
always  a  danger  of  mutiny  when  the  Government  is 
behind  in  meeting  its  obligations  to  them;  I  quote 
from  one  who  was  in  Monrovia  October  10,  1911 ;  he 
says:  ''I  heard  quite  an  altercation  in  the  street. 
Upon  going  out  I  saw  about  120  men  moving  through 
the  street  in  a  disorderly  mass  toward  the  office  of 
the  Secretary  of  "War.  Upon  arriving  at  the  office, 
there  was  quite  a  demonstration  and  matters  looked 
serious.  After  a  great  deal  of  persuasion  on  the 
part  of  the  Secretary  and  the  one  officer  from  the 
camp,  the  men  moved  away  in  the  direction  of  Camp 
Johnson.  I  was  informed  that  the  men  were  demand- 
ing their  pay."  There  is  also  great  danger  of  the 
Frontier  Force,  when  marching  through  the  interior, 
looting  and  destroying  the  fields  and  villages  through 
which  they  pass;  this  is  so  much  in  the  nature  of 
ordinary  native  warfare  that  it  must  be  particularly 
guarded  against;  the  Frontier  Force,  however,  is 
necessary,  and  it  seems  to  be  making  a  promising 
development. 


Compare,  you  say,  the  present  with  the  past.  Where  are 
the  schooners  and  cutters  that  were  used  to  be  built  right  here 
in  Liberia,  when  nearly  every  responsible  man  had  his  own? 
Where  are  the  tons  of  sugar  that  used  to  be  shipped  to  foreign 
parts  by  our  fathers,  and  the  barrels  of  molasses,  and  the  tons 
of  camwood?  Where  are  the  financial  men  of  the  country  that 
looked  upon  the  holding  of  public  offices  almost  beneath  them, 
who  had  to  be  begged  to  fill  the  offices?  Where  are  those  who 
when  they  (had)  "made  their  farms  lived  off  the  farms?  Oh, 
where  are  the  honest,  upright  and  loyal  government  officials  of 
1847?  You  answer  for  yourselves.  Where  are  the  great 
Liberian  merchants  of  Monrovia,  Grand  Bassa,  Sinoe,  and  Cape 
Palmas?     Gone! — S.  D.  Ferguson,  Jr. 

TRADE  DEVELOPMENT  AND  TRANS- 
PORTATION. 

Liberia's  very  existence  depends  upon  her  devel- 
opment of  trade.  If  the  Liberians  push  forward  in 
this  direction,  her  future  may  be  assured.  If,  how- 
ever, she  neglects  it,  her  neighbors,  France  and  Eng- 
land, can  not  be  expected  to  permit  their  opportunity 
to  pass.  The  area  of  the  Black  Republic  is  far  too 
rich  by  nature  to  be  overlooked ;  if  its  legitimate 
owners  fail  to  develop  it,  others  will  do  so. 

The  past  of  Liberia  was  built  on  trade  in  wild 
produce;  its  immediate  prosperity  must  depend  upon 
the  same  source  of  wealth.  For  the  moment  the  trade 
of  Liberia  must  be  in  such  things  as  palm  nuts, 
piassava,  and  rubber. 

The  oil  palm  has  been  the  most  important  source  of 
wealth  Liberia  has.  The  tree  produces  great  quanti- 
ties of  nuts,  growing  in  large  clusters,  from  which 
an  oil  is  easily  extracted,  which  finds  enormous  use 
in  soap-  and  candle-making.  This  oil  is  derived  from 
the  stringy,  fleshy  coating  of  the  nut;  the  nuts  are 
thrown  into  pits  dug  in  the  ground,  where  they  are 
allowed  to  ferment  for  some  time ;  the  mass  of  f er- 

131 


132  LIBERIA. 

mented  nuts  is  then  squeezed  in  a  sort  of  press  run  by 
hand,  and  the  oil  is  extracted.  This  is  the  primitive, 
native  style  of  production.  The  oil  may  also  be 
produced  by  boiling  and  pounding  the  nuts  and  then 
stone-boiling  the  mass  in  wooden  troughs,  the  oil 
being  skimmed  off  from  the  surface  of  the  water.  In 
Liberia  palm  oil  is  chiefly  produced  in  the  counties  of 
Bassa  and  Sinoe.  Liberian  oil  is  not  the  best  quality 
on  the  market,  as  carelessness  in  preparation  leaves 
considerable  dirt  and  impurities  in  it ;  it  has,  how- 
ever, brought  good  prices — up  to  £24.10.0  a  ton. 
Inside  the  palm  nut  is  a  hard  kernel  which  remains 
after  the  oil  has  been  extracted;  this  kernel  at  first 
was  wasted ;  to-day  it  is  known  to  yield  a  finer  oil  than 
the  pulp;  the  idea  of  exporting  palm  nut  kernels 
originated  with  a  Liberian,  and  the  first  shipment  was 
made  in  1850;  to-day  there  is  a  large  demand  for 
palm  kernels  which  sell  at  prices  ranging  from  $60  to 
$68  per  ton,  the  oil  derived  from  them  selling  at  $130 
to  $133  per  ton. 

Second,  certainly,  in  importance,  among  the  raw 
products  exported  from  Liberia  is  piassava ;  it  is  the 
fiber  of  a  palm — raphia  vinifera.  Large  use  is  made 
of  this  extremely  resistent  fiber  for  brooms  and 
brushes  for  street  sweeping  and  the  like;  its  use,  too, 
was  suggested  by  a  Liberian  in  1889 ;  it  was  first 
exported  in  1890  and  for  a  time  brought  the  aston- 
ishingly high  price  of  from  $300  to  $350  per  ton ;  as 
the  fiber  was  easy  to  prepare  and  the  trees  were 
plentiful,  a  rapid  development  took'  place;  Liberia 
was  for  a  long  time  the  only  source  of  supply;  care- 
lessness ensued  in  the  preparation  of  the  fiber,  the 
demand  lessened  and  the  price  dropped ;  it  went  down 
to  £10  per  ton ;  at  present  the  price  is  somewhat  bet- 
ter and  is  stationary  at  £20.  Sir  Harry  Johnston, 
from  whom  these  details  are  borrowed,  says  that  it  is 
difficult  to  judge  the  quality  of  raphia,  that  it  shrinks 
in  weight,  and  that  trade  in  it  is  somewhat  specu- 
lative and  uncertain;  still,  piassava  fiber  occupies 
an  important  position  in  the  Liberian  trade  to-day. 


PROBLEMS.  133 

Africa  appears  to  be  the  continent  which  presents 
the  greatest  number  of  rubber-yielding  plants;  in 
Liberia  the  precious  exudation  is  obtained  from  some 
sixteen  different  kinds  of  trees  and  vines,  varying  as 
to  the  quality  and  character  of  rubber  yielded.  The 
rubber  of  Liberia  is  not  considered  of  the  highest 
class,  but  it  is  of  good  grade;  the  natives  of  the 
interior  are  skilled  in  its  collection ;  there  is  no  doubt 
that  great  quantities  of  wild  rubber  are  still  to  be 
obtained  within  the  limits  of  the  Republic  and  experi- 
ments in  rubber-planting  have  already  been  made 
with  promise. 

Sir  Harry  Johnston  gives  a  long  list  of  other 
natural  products  which  have  been  exported  from 
Liberia  at  one  time  or  another  in  varying  quantities. 
There  was  a  time  when  camwood  found  a  ready  mar- 
ket and  formed  perhaps  the  most  important  element 
in  Liberian  trade — of  course  with  the  invention  of 
other  dye-stuffs,  the  use  of  camwood,  annatto,  etc., 
has  practically  ceased;  the  name  "Grain  Coast"  or 
"Pepper  Coast"  was  long  given  to  this  country  on 
account  of  the  malagueta  pepper  which  was  exported 
in  great  quantities — this,  too,  has  ceased  to  be  a 
product  of  practical  importance;  kola  nuts  are  to 
some  degree  exported  from  Liberia,  and  with  the 
ever-increasing  use  of  the  kola  in  America  and  Euro- 
pean countries,  trade  along  this  line  should  develop ; 
ivory  has  always  been  among  the  export  products  of 
Liberia,  though  it  has  never  had  great  significance; 
vegetable  ivory  nuts  are  produced  here  and  to  some 
extent  form  an  article  of  trade — the  demand  for  them 
in  button-making  is  large  and  increasing,  and  exporta- 
tion of  them  may  reasonably  be  developed;  hides  and 
oil-yielding  seeds  complete  the  list  of  actual  native 
export  products.  Sir  Harry  Johnston  calls  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  country  is  rich  in  ebony,  mahog- 
any, and  other  fine  woods,  in  copal  and  other  gums, 
in  ground  nuts,  fruits,  and  minerals;  these,  however, 
have   never   been    actual   materials   for   export;    all 


134  LIBERIA. 

are  valuable,  however,  and  trade  in  them  might  be 
developed. 

All  of  these  raw  products  of  natural  production 
are  valuable,  but  that  they  shall  form  an  element  in 
trade  depends  upon  the  natives.  These  things  all 
come  from  the  forests  of  the  interior ;  if  they  are  to  be 
traded  to  the  outside  world,  they  must  be  collected 
and  transported  by  the  people  within  whose  territory 
they  are  found;  this  dependence  is  an  uncertain 
thing.  The  natives  have  few  needs;  in  their  little 
towns  they  take  life  easily ;  they  have  no  sentimental 
interest  in  the  development  of  trade  as  such  nor  in 
the  upbuilding  of  the  country;  they  care  compara- 
tively little  for  the  returns  of  trade;  they  will  work 
when  necessary,  but  only  as  they  please;  when  they 
need  some  money  for  buying  wives,  they  will  prepare 
some  piassava  fiber  or  dig  a  pit,  ferment  some  nuts, 
and  squeeze  some  oil.  When  they  have  enough  for 
the  immediate  and  pressing  necessity,  work  stops,  and 
with  it  the  supply  of  oil  or  fiber  or  whatever  they 
may  have  seen  fit  to  produce.  More  than  this,  the 
native  is  little  concerned  about  the  quality  of  his 
production.  So  long  as  he  can  sell  it  and  raise  the 
resources  that  he  needs,  he  does  not  care  whether  the 
oil  is  clean,  whether  the  piassava  fiber  is  of  good  qual- 
ity, or  whether  the  rubber  contains  dirt  and  stones. 
Impurity,  however,  of  products  is  a  very  serious  mat- 
ter to  the  outside  world;  a  district  which  neglects 
quality  loses  trade.  Liberian  oil,  fiber,  rubber,  all 
are  at  a  disadvantage  at  present  through  the  care- 
lessness of  the  producers. 

It  must,  then,  be  the  policy  of  the  Liberian  Gov- 
ernment to  encourage,  by  every  legitimate  means 
within  its  power,  the  increase  of  the  production  of  the 
natural  resources.  Nor  is  the  simple  question  of  pro- 
duction the  whole  difficulty.  Transportation  is  quite 
as  important.  The  product,  no  matter  how  good  or 
how  precious,  has  no  value  as  long  as  it  remains  in 
the  bush.  There  are  different  methods  of  dealing 
with  this  matter  of  getting  the  natural  products  down 


PROBLEMS.  135 

to  the  coast  settlements.  The  simplest  and  most  nat- 
ural is  to  let  the  native  bring  it  out — but  the  natives 
are  as  little  inclined  to  travel  and  carry  as  they  are 
to  produce;  they  will  fetch  down  their  product  when 
they  feel  inclined — but  the  demand  from  without  is 
constant.  Liberians  may  go  into  the  bush  to  bring 
out  the  products;  there  are  always  little  traders  who 
divide  their  time  between  the  settlements  and  the 
interior;  they  travel  in,  sit  down  for  several  days  at 
native  towns,  trade  with  the  natives  for  whatever 
stuff  they  have  on  hand,  then  have  it  carried  out; 
such  traders  are  usually  independent  men  of  small 
means  who  are  trading  on  their  own  account.  It  is 
not  uncommon  for  the  large  trading-houses  to  hire 
agents, — Liberians  or  natives, — and  send  them  into 
the  interior  to  buy  up  and  bring  down  products. 
Another  method — which,  in  the  long  run,  will  prove 
no  doubt  the  most  satisfactory, — is  to  establish  here 
and  there  in  the  interior  permanent  trading  stations, 
supplied  with  a  fair  stock  of  goods,  to  be  traded  with 
the  natives  against  their  raw  products — trading  sta- 
tions of  this  kind  are  already  established  by  the  Mon- 
rovia Rubber  Company  and  by  various  of  the  great 
trading-houses. 

In  some  way  or  other  the  Government  should  adopt 
a  method  of  encouraging  the  natives  of  the  interior 
to  gather,  to  properly  prepare,  and  to  bring  in  raw 
produce ;  a  definite  scheme  of  practical  education  and 
encouragement  must  be  devised. 

While  raw  products  offered  by  nature  have  been 
and  are  the  chief  element  in  Liberian  trade,  another 
element  is  immediate,  and  will  ultimately  be  the  chief 
dependence  of  the  nation.  Agriculture,  though  far 
from  being  in  a  satisfactory  condition,  has  always 
contributed  material  for  export.  The  country  can 
not  forever  count  upon  a  supply  of  raw  products. 
Gradually  the  value  of  the  forests  will  become  sec- 
ondary to  that  of  produce  of  the  fields.  There  is  no 
reason  why  the  Liberian  coffee  should  not  be  fully 
re-established  in  the  foreign  market.    The  tree  seems 


136  LIBERIA. 

to  be  a  native  of  the  country ;  Ashmun  reported  that 
it  was  found  everywhere  near  the  seacoast  and  to  an 
unknown  distance  back  from  there.  Under  natural 
conditions,  the  tree  grew  often  to  a  height  of  thirty 
feet  and  a  girth  of  fifteen  inches.  Coffee  berries  from 
wuld  trees  were  brought  in  by  hundreds  of  bushels  to 
the  early  settlers  by  the  natives.  Plantations  were 
soon  established,  and  many  of  them  met  with  great 
success;  in  fact,  coffee  was  once  the  principal  export 
of  the  Republic;  it  was  mainly  shipped  from  Mon- 
rovia and  Cape  Mount;  the  more  important  planta- 
tions were  located  along  the  St.  Paul's  River.  Libe- 
rian  coffee  was  much  appreciated  in  the  European 
market;  at  its  period  of  greatest  vogue  it  used  to 
bring  twenty-five  cents  a  pound;  the  price  has  now 
fallen  so  low  as  eight  or  nine  cents  a  pound.  This 
decline  is  due,  in  part,  of  course,  to  the  enormous 
development  of  the  Brazilian  coffee  trade;  it  is,  how- 
ever, largely  due  to  the  carelessness  of  the  Liberian 
planters,  who  had  only  primitive  machinery  for  its 
preparation  and  who  neglected  proper  care,  with  the 
result  that  the  coffee  berries  reached  the  market 
broken  and  impaired.  It  is  a  delicious  coffee,  of  full 
flavor,  and  improves  with  age.  Sir  Harry  Johnston 
claims  that  about  1,500,000  pounds  are  annually 
produced,  and  reports  that  the  output  is  increasing 
slightly.  At  the  Muhlenberg  IMission  School,  coffee  is 
cultivated ;  care  is  taken  in  its  preparation,  and  the 
price  is  rising ;  if  the  Liberians  will  give  serious  atten- 
tion to  the  matter,  there  is  no  question  that  the  old 
importance  of  the  culture  may  be  restored.  It  will 
require  improved  methods  of  cultivation,  the  use  of 
better  machinery,  greater  care  in  the  preparation  of 
the  berry,  and  constant  attention  to  proper  packing 
and  handling. 

Discouraged  at  the  fall  in  price  of  coffee,  some 
Liberian  planters  introduced  the  culture  of  cacao, 
from  which  our  chocolate  and  cocoa  are  derived;  this 
culture  has  long  been  successful  in  some  of  the 
Spanish  possessions  of  West  Africa;  in  Liberia  the 


PROBLEMS.  137 

plant  grows  well,  and  the  cacao  seems  to  be  of  superior 
quality;  it  is  said  that  a  good  price  for  it  may  be 
received  in  Liverpool.  This  culture  must  be  consid- 
ered as  only  in  its  infancy,  but  there  appears  to 
be  no  reason  why  it  should  not  become  of  great 
importance. 

The  rubber  so  far  sent  out  from  Liberia  has  been 
wild  rubber;  it  would  seem  that  a  wise  policy  in 
national  development  would  be  to  encourage  the 
establishment  of  plantations  of  rubber  trees  or  vines. 
One  such  plantation  has  already  been  established  by 
an  English  company,  who  hoped  to  gather  the  first 
harvest  of  latex  in  1912 ;  one  would  suppose  that  the 
best  tree  for  planting  would  be  the  funtumia  which 
is  native  to  the  country  and  a  good  yielder ;  it  is  chiefly 
this  plant  which  is  being  set  out  by  the  Belgians  in 
the  Congo  colony;  the  English  company  in  Liberia, 
however,  claims  that  their  experiments  with  funtumia 
were  not  encouraging,  and  the  species  actually  planted 
is  the  hevea — the  one  which  yields  the  famous  Para 
rubber.  While  coffee,  cacao,  and  rubber  will  no 
doubt  be  the  earliest  important  plantations  to  be 
developed  in  the  country,  other  products  should  not 
be  neglected.  Ginger  has  already  been  well  tested 
in  the  Republic — there  have  been  times  when  it  was 
quite  an  important  article  of  export;  sugar-cane 
grows  well,  and  from  the  earliest  days  plantations  of 
it  have  yielded  something  for  local  consumption— if 
capital  were  available,  there  seems  no  reason  why 
profitable  plantations  of  cane  might  not  be  made ;  cas- 
sava has  always  been  to  some  degree  an  article  of 
export  in  the  past, — it  is  of  course  the  main  food 
product  of  the  natives — it  is  the  source  of  tapioca  and 
other  food  materials  abundantly  in  use  among  our- 
selves. Liberia  at  present  imports  rice  from  abroad, 
yet  rice  of  excellent  quality  is  easily  cultivated  in  the 
Republic  and  forms  a  staple  food  in  native  towns — 
effort  to  increase  its  local  production  would  be  good 
economy  from  every  point  of  view;  fruits  of  many 
kinds — both  native  and  imported — grow  to  perfection 


138  LIBERIA. 

in  Liberia;  experiments  have  been  made,  without 
particular  results,  in  cotton  raising — there  are  species 
of  wild  cotton  in  the  country  and  experiments  with 
both  wild  and  foreign  grades  would  determine  to 
what  degree  culture  of  this  useful  fiber  might  be 
profitably  carried  on.  This  list  of  cultivated  vege- 
table products  might  be  enormously  extended ;  we  are 
only  interested  here  in  indicating  those  plants  which 
would  be  important  as  trade  products  if  their  culti- 
vation were  seriously  undertaken.  In  the  matter  of 
fruits,  we  may  add  a  word ;  here  is  the  suggestion  of 
a  beginning  of  manufacturing  interests  in  the  coun- 
try; some  of  these  fruits  are  capable  of  profitable 
canning  or  preservation,  others  might  be  dried,  while 
still  others  yield  materials  which  could  be  utilized 
outside ;  it  would  seem  as  if  the  natural  beginning  of 
manufacturing  interests  in  the  Republic  would  be  in 
the  establishment  of  factories  to  deal  with  these  fruits 
and  various  derived  vegetable  materials. 

It  is  to  be  anticipated  that  there  will  be  a  develop- 
ment in  mining  in  Liberia;  it  is  not  an  unmixed 
blessing  to  a  country  to  possess  mineral  wealth;  it 
may  be  disadvantageous  to  a  little  country,  of  relative 
politcal  insignificance  and  actually  weak,  to  possess 
great  wealth  of  this  sort.  But  there  are  certainly 
deposits  of  gold  and  diamonds  in  the  Republic ;  these 
will  in  time  be  known,  and  their  development  will  be 
undertaken.  When  that  time  comes,  ores  and  other 
mineral  products  will  form  an  element  in  national 
trade. 

Closely  associated  with  the  matter  of  production 
is  the  question  of  transportation.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  serious  that  faces  Liberia. 

If  produce  can  not  be  taken  to  the  coast,  it  is  of  no 
value  in  the  development  of  trade.  There  are  prac- 
tically no  roads  in  Liberia  to-day.  As  in  the  Dark 
Continent  generally,  narrow  foot-trails  go  from  town 
to  town.  The  travel  over  them  is  always  in  single  file, 
the  path  is  but  a  few  inches  wide  and  has  been  sharply 
worn  into  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  several  inches  by  the 


PROBLEMS.  139 

passage  of  many  human  feet.  As  long  as  transporta- 
tion is  entirely  by  human  carriers,  such  trails  are 
serviceable,  provided  they  be  kept  open.  A  neglected 
trail,  however,  is  soon  overgrown  and  becomes 
extremely  difficult  to  pass;  that  a  trail  should  be 
good,  it  is  necessary  that  the  brushwood  and  other 
growth  be  cut  out  at  fairly  frequent  intervals.  Often, 
however,  the  chief  of  a  given  village  does  not  care  to 
remain  in  communication  with  his  neighbors  and 
intentionally  permits  the  trail  to  fall  into  disuse. 
There  is  a  feeling  too,  surviving  from  old  customs, 
that  trails  are  only  passable  with  the  permission  and 
consent  of  the  chiefs  of  the  towns  through  which 
they  run;  chiefs  have  always  exercised  the  right  of 
closing  trails  whenever  it  pleased  them;  they  have 
expected  presents  ("dashes")  for  the  privilege  of 
passing.  If  now,  large  trade  is  to  be  developed  in 
the  matter  of  native  produce,  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  the  trails  be  kept  in  good  condition  and  that 
free  passage  over  them  be  granted  to  all.  Much  of 
the  energy  of  the  Grovernment  must  of  necessity  be 
directed  toward  these  ends.  At  the  best,  however, 
there  is  a  limit  to  the  distance  over  which  produce  can 
be  profitably  transported  on  human  backs ;  there  must 
be  very  large  inherent  value  in  such  produce  to  war- 
rant its  being  carried  more  than  a  three  days'  jour- 
ney l)y  human  carriers.  It  is  not  only  the  labor 
involved  in  the  transportation,  but  the  loss  of  time 
which  renders  this  problem  important.  The  richest 
resources  lie  at  a  great  distance  in  the  interior;  even 
with  good  trails  it  is  impossible  to  utilize  them. 

In  time,  of  course,  the  foot-trails  must  be  developed 
into  actual  roads;  some  other  mode  of  transportation 
must  be  devised  than  that  of  the  human  beast  of 
burden.  Horses  have  never  prospered  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Monrovia;  yet  there  are  plenty  of  them 
raised  and,  it  is  said,  of  good  quality,  among  the 
Mandingo.  Serious  efforts  should  be  made  to  intro- 
duce their  use  as  beasts  of  draft  and  burden;  if,  as 
is  likely,  these  experiments  should  come  to  naught, 


140  LIBERIA. 

attempts  should  be  made  to  use  oxen  for  hauling 
produce  to  the  market.  Improved  trails  and  roads 
are  of  the  highest  importance  to  the  Republic  for 
several  reasons,  (a)  For  intercourse:  only  by  means 
of  them  can  ready  and  constant  intercourse  be  devel- 
oped between  the  different  elements  of  population; 
no  great  development  of  trade,  no  significant  advance, 
can  be  made  without  constant  intercourse ;  it  must  be 
easy  for  the  Government  to  reach  and  deal  with  the 
remotest  natives  of  the  far  interior;  it  is  equally 
important  that  peoples  of  neighboring  towns  have 
more  frequent  and  intimate  contact  with  each  other; 
it  is  necessary  that  the  members  of  different  tribes 
come  to  know  other  tribes  by  daily  contact,  (b)  For 
transportation;  there  is  no  reason  why  even  the 
existing  trails  should  not  be  covered  with  caravans 
carrying  produce  to  the  coast,  (e)  For  protection;  at 
present  the  movement  of  the  Frontier  Force  from 
place  to  place  is  a  matter  of  the  highest  difficulty;  if 
trouble  on  the  border  necessitates  the  sending  of  an 
armed  force,  weeks  must  elapse  before  the  enterprise 
can  be  accomplished;  until  the  present  unsatisfac- 
tory condition  of  trails  be  done  away  with,  Liberia  is 
in  no  position  to  protect  her  frontiers. 

The  construction  by  the  English  of  the  Sierra 
Leone  Railroad  running  from  the  port  of  Freetown 
across  the  colony  through  the  interior  to  the  very 
border  of  Liberia,  was  a  master  stroke  of  policy;  it 
not  only  developed  the  resources  of  the  British  area 
through  which  it  passed  and  carried  British  products 
to  the  sea,  but  it  tapped  the  richest  part  of  the 
Liberian  territory ;  formerly  the  production  of  that 
wealthy  and  well  populated  area  found  its  way  to  Cape 
Mount  and  Monrovia ;  now  it  all  goes  out  through  a 
British  port,  in  British  hands.  No  single  work  would 
better  repay  an  outlay  by  the  Liberian  Government 
than  a  good  road  running  from  IMonrovia  up  the  St. 
Paul's  River,  out  to  Boporo,  and  on  through  the 
country  of  the  Mandingo  to  the  region  where  this 
British  road  ends.     Such  a  road  would  bring  back 


PROBLEMS.  141 

into  Liberia  her  part  of  a  trade  which  has  always 
been  legitimately  her  own.  The  idea  would  be  to  con- 
struct upon  such  a  road-bed  a  light  railroad ;  such 
an  enterprise  would  very  probably  soon  be  upon  a 
paying  basis. 

With  the  exception  of  one  or  two  short  stretches 
built  by  foreign  companies  for  their  own  uses,  there 
are  neither  roads  nor  railroads  at  the  present  time  in 
the  Republic.  In  1912  the  legislature  granted  a  con- 
cession to  the  Cavalla  River  Company  to  make  roads 
along  the  Cavalla  River,  to  negotiate  with  the  inhab- 
itants of  those  parts  for  the  development  of  the  rice 
industry,  etc.  At  the  same  session  the  right  was 
granted  to  Wichers  and  Helm  to  negotiate  a  railroad 
scheme  for  the  construction  of  a  light  railway  from 
"White  Plains  to  Careysburg,  and  from  Millsburg  to 
Boporo,  the  right  was  also  granted  to  construct  a 
railroad  from  Harper  to  Dimalu  in  Maryland  County. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  these  three  enterprises  may  all 
develop ;  they  would  mean  much  for  the  progress  of 
the  country. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  exports  of  Liberia ;  the 
imports  consist  chiefly  of  cotton  goods,  hardware, 
tobacco,  silks,  crockery,  guns,  gun-powder,  rice,  stock- 
fish, herrings,  and  salt.  Most  of  these  items  are  the 
staples  which  for  centuries  have  maintained  the 
trade  of  Western  Africa.  The  total  value  of  this 
import  trade  is  estimated  by  Sir  Harry  Johnston  at 
about  $1,000,000  annually.  It  is  curious  that  rice 
should  need  to  be  imported;  150,000  bags,  equal  to 
700  tons  are  brought  in  every  year;  this  rice  is  used 
entirely  by  the  civilized  Liberians ;  certainly  they 
should  be  raising  their  own  rice  or  buying  it  from 
natives.  That  salt  should  be  introduced  into  a  coast 
district  where  salt,  by  evaporation  from  seawater 
might  be  easily  produced,  is  less  strange  than  would 
appear  at  first  sight;  the  salt  from  Europe  is,  on  the 
whole,  better  in  quality  and  is  more  cheaply  produced 
than  the  local  article  of  Liberia.  The  stock-fish  is 
brought  from  Norway  and  is  especially  in  demand 


142  LIBERIA. 

among  the  Km.  Intoxicating  drinks  do  not  occur  in 
the  list  above  quoted;  Sir  Harry  Johnston  says  that 
gin  and  rum  are  introduced,  but  that  there  is  not 
much  drunkenness  among  the  people.  Measures  are 
taken  to  prevent  the  introduction  of  gin  among  the 
natives,  but  a  great  deal  must  be  surreptitiously  intro- 
duced among  them ;  when  we  were  in  the  Bassa  coun- 
try, our  interpreter's  constant  regret  was  that  we 
had  not  loaded  up  with  a  large  supply  of  gin  which, 
he  assured  us,  would  accomplish  much  more  with  the 
chiefs  of  the  interior  towns  than  any  other  form  of 
trade-stuff.  The  bulk  of  the  cotton  goods  taken  into 
Liberia  is  intended  for  trade  with  the  interior  natives; 
the  patterns  brought  vary  but  little  and  are  extremely 
old-fashioned — taste  having  been  long  ago  estab- 
lished and  the  natives  being  conservative  in  such 
things. 

As  to  the  actual  volume  of  trade  and  its  move- 
ment, some  words  are  necessary.  Recent  figures  are 
supplied  in  a  little  table  issued  by  the  Republic  in 
a  small  pamphlet  entitled  Some  Trade  Facts;  it  cov- 
ers the  period  extending  from  1905  to  1912.  As  will 
be  seen,  during  that  period  of  time,  the  customs  rev- 
enue of  the  Republic  more  than  doubled.  Part  of 
this  favorable  result  undoubtedly  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  administration  of  the  customs  service 
was  for  that  time  largely  in  the  hands  of  a  British 
Chief  Inspector  of  Customs.  There  is  no  reason  why 
this  encouraging  movement  of  trade  should  not  con- 
tinue. There  is  wealth  enough  in  Liberia,  if  it  can 
only  be  properly  developed.  The  resources  are  enor- 
mous; the  difficulties  have  been  in  handling  them. 
The  Republic  has  usually  been  in  financial  diffi- 
culties; it  has  been  hard  work  to  make  ends  meet; 
but  there  is  no  question  that  with  good  management 
and  legitimate  encouragement  the  national  income 
may  be  more  than  necessary  to  meet  all  obligations,  to 
pursue  conservative  policies  of  development,  and  to 
attract  favorable  assistance  from  the  outside  world. 


PROBLEMS.  143 

STATEMENT  OF  CUSTOMS  REVENUE  OF  THE  REPUB- 
LIC OF  LIBERIA  FOR  YEARS   1905-1912 
(1st  April-31st  March) 

Port                            1905-6  1906-7  1907-8  1908-9  1909-10    1910-11     1911-12 

Monrovia     $114,098  $129,077  $128,030  $117,524  $135,916  $144,292 

Cape    Mount,    etc 38.128  31.901  19,327  25,907       27.809       36.125 

Marshall     11.195  18.412  16.666  8.211       12.761       23.579 

Grand   Bassa,   etc 103.494  112,168  105,273  109.876     118,782     140,457 

Slnoe,     etc 30,228  32,784  27,172  33.960       28.208       31,784 

Cape   Palmas,    etc 30,603  41,413  48.314  66,018      78,028       86,615 

Kabawana.     etc 166  3,483  1.808  206        1,238        3,841 

Rubber     Duties    col- 
lected In  London 7,443  8,614  8,725        4,655        4,637 

Total     $230,580  $327,913  $376,684  $355,208  $370,431  $407,400  $471,335 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  with  whom  Liberia's 
trade  is  carried  on.  Britain  of  course  has  always  led ; 
Germany  comes  second,  Holland  third,  and  other 
nations  follow.  Sir  Harry  Johnston  says  that  in  1904 
the  total  value  of  British  trade  with  Liberia  was 
£112,779,  while  the  total  trade  of  the  British  Empire 
with  the  Republic  was  £132,000;  the  £20,000  differ- 
ence represent  trade  with  Sierra  Leone  and  the  Gold 
Coast  chiefly.  On  the  whole  it  would  seem  that  Ger- 
many is  crowding  Britain  and  bids  fair  to  lead.  A 
little  table  will  show  this  clearly ;  the  first  statement 
shows  the  amount  of  British  imports,  exports,  and 
entire  trade  for  the  years  1904,  1908,  and  1909  in 
pounds  sterling;  a  second  statement  shows  the  corre- 
sponding items  for  German  trade  for  the  years  1908 
and  1909  in  marks;  a  third  statement  changes  the 
totals  figures  to  dollars  at  the  rate  of  five  dollars  to 
the  pound  and  four  marks  to  a  dollar,  which  of  course 
is  only  approximate.  It  shows,  however,  that  Ger- 
many is  actually  crowding  her  longer  established 
rival. 

(a)  BRITISH  TRADE  WITH  LIBERIA   (Soler) 

Imports         Exports  Total 

1904    £60,350         £62,710         £123,060 

1908    74,348  75,137  149,485 

1909    69,511  63,500  133,011 

(b)  GERMAN  TRADE  WITH  LIBERIA   (Soler) 

1908     1,177,000  mks.         1,856,000  mks.         S,033,000  mks. 

1909     1,095,000  mks.         2,282,000  mks.         3,377,000  mks. 

(c)  ENGLISH  AND  GERMAN  TRADE  (1908-1909) 

1908  1909 

English    $747,425  $665,055 

German    758,250  844,250 


The  Liberian  nation  is  to  be  made  up  of  the  Negro  civilized  to 
some  extent  in  the  United  States  and  repatriated,  and  of  the 
aboriginal  tribes.  At  present  it  is  composed  of  a  small  number 
of  civilized  and  a  large  number  of  aboriginal  communities  in 
varying  degrees  of  dependence.  The  problem  is  how  to  blend 
these  into  a  national  organism,  an  organic  unity. — A.  Barclay. 

THE  NATIVE! 

Jore,  in  his  valuable  study  of  Liberia,  discusses 
the  question  of  the  actual  number  of  natives  in 
Liberia  as  follows :  ' '  IMessrs.  Johnston  and  Delaf osse 
have  estimated  the  number  of  natives  of  Liberia  at 
2,000,000  persons.  This  figure  would  appear  to-day 
to  be  above  the  actual.  In  fact,  from  serious  studies 
which  have  been  made  in  French  West  Africa,  it 
results  that  a  density  of  population  superior  to  twelve 
inhabitants  to  the  square  kilometer,  has  been  found 
only  in  Lower  Dahomey,  Ovagadougou,  in  Upper 
Senegal  and  Niger,  in  Lower  Senegal,  and  in  a  very 
restricted  part  of  Middle  Guinea.  Generally  the  den- 
sity remains  inferior  to  five  inhabitants  to  the  square 
kilometer.  But  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that 
Liberia  is,  in  its  entirety,  more  populous  than  our 
own  possessions  in  West  Africa.  In  taking  the  density 
at  the  figure  8,  one  runs  the  chance  of  still  finding 
himself  above  the  reality.  Liberia,  having  to-day 
80,000  square  kilometers,  its  population  ought  scarcely 
to  surpass  600,000  or  700,000  inhabitants.  In  any 
case,  it  certainly  does  not  go  beyond  1,000,000  per- 
sons." This  estimate  seems  to  us  far  more  reasonable 
than  any  other  that  has  been  made.  Even  thus 
reduced,  the  native  population  overwhelmingly  out- 
numbers the  Americo-Liberian.  More  than  that,  they 
are  at  home  and  acclimated ;  they  enjoy  good  health 
and  presumably  are  rapidly  increasing.     We  have 

144 


PROBLEMS.  145 

indeed  no  means  of  actually  knowing  such  to  be  the 
fact.  But  the  impression  gained  from  observation 
is  that,  while  the  Americo-Liberians  barely  hold  their 
own,  the  Kru,  the  Mohammedans,  and  the  natives  of 
the  interior  are  flourishing.  Even  in  crowded  and 
unsanitary  towns,  like  those  which  occur  upon  the 
borders  of  Liberian  settlements,  the  Kru  appear  to  be 
increasing.  Krutown,  at  Monrovia,  suffers  from 
frightful  mortality,  but  those  who  live  are  vigorous, 
hardy,  and  energetic.  The  houses  are  crowded  close 
together,  but  there  are  no  empty  houses  falling  into 
ruins  and  no  shrinkage  in  the  area  occupied.  The 
schools  (that  is,  the  mission  schools  of  the  Methodists) 
are  crowded  with  children ;  the  Kru  mission  chapel 
(Protestant  Episcopal)  is  maintained  with  an  energy 
and  interest  which  could  be  found  only  among  a 
people  who  were  looking  out  upon  life  with  the  hope 
and  vigor  which  comes  from  physical  prosperity.  So 
far  as  the  natives  of  the  interior  are  concerned,  they 
show  every  sign  of  increase.  There  are  of  course 
abandoned  towns  and  villages  in  plenty,  but  the  towns 
now  occupied  are  filled  with  people,  and  children 
swarm. 

But  there  are  natives  and  natives.  The  different 
natives  form  distinct  problems — it  is  not  just  one 
simple  proposition.  The  Mandingo  and  Vai  are  Mo- 
hammedan populations ;  they  are  independent,  proud, 
aggressive ;  they  are  industrious,  and  their  industries 
render  them  to  a  large  degree  independent  of  all 
neighbors.  Their  towns  and  villages  are  large,  pros- 
perous, and  relatively  wealthy.  Few  visitors  have 
ever  penetrated  into  their  country;  it  is  practically 
unknown  to  the  Liberians.  Yet  it  is  in  the  highest 
degree  important  that  the  Liberians  should  know 
them  thoroughly,  should  come  into  close  and  intimate 
contact  with  them,  should  co-operate  with  them  in 
the  development  and  advancement  of  the  country.  In 
their  towns  and  villages  boys  are  taught  Arabic  and 
read  the  Koran ;  it  is  true — as  in  so  much  religious 
teaching   elsewhere — that   they   often   learn  only   to 

10. 


146  LIBERIA. 

repeat  the  words  of  the  sacred  texts  without  any 
knowledge  of  their  actual  meaning — many,  however, 
read  with  understanding.  It  is  an  interesting  fact 
that  the  Vai  have  a  system  of  writing  which  has  been 
invented  by  themselves;  it  is  widely  known  among 
them  and  they  are  fond  of  Avriting  letters  and  making 
records  in  their  own  script.  Momulu  Massaquoi, 
whose  name  is  well  known  in  this  country  and  in  Eng- 
land, is  a  Vai ;  he  governed  a  considerable  section  of 
his  people  as  chief  through  a  period  of  years;  he  has 
now  for  some  time  been  located  at  Monrovia,  where 
he  ably  fills  the  position  of  chief  clerk  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior;  he  is  useful  to  the  Government 
as  an  intermediary  between  it  and  the  Mohammedans 
of  the  Republic ;  although  himself  a  Christian,  both 
Mandingo  and  Vai  have  more  confidence  in  him  than 
they  could  possibly  repose  in  a  stranger  to  their  cus- 
toms and  languages.  There  are  various  ways  in  which 
the  Government  might  proceed  to  develop  friendly 
relations  with  these  people.  They  should  encourage 
village  schools — both  religious  and  secular;  in  the 
religious  schools,  which  should  be  uncontrolled,  the 
Koran  and  Arabic  would  continue  to  be  the  chief  sub- 
.ieets  taught ;  in  the  other  schools  there  snould  be 
the  usual  subjects  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
Americo-Liberians ;  these  will  best  be  taught  through 
the  Vai  language,  and  charts  and  text-books  should 
be  printed  in  the  native  characters.  Mr.  Massaquoi  has 
already  undertaken  to  prepare  such  text-books.  Trade 
with  these  peoples  should  be  encouraged ;  and  devel- 
oped as  rapidly  as  possible.  No  opportunity  should 
be  lost  to  impress  upon  them  that  their  interests  and 
those  of  the  Liberians  are  one,  and  every  effort  should 
be  made  to  gain  co-operation.  These  peoples  occupy 
that  portion  of  the  Republic  which  is  most  in  danger 
of  aggression  bv  the  British ;  surely  the  natural 
impulse  is  for  these  black  peoples,  though  they  be 
Mohammedans,  to  unite  in  common  progress  with 
other  blacks  rather  than  with  any  whites.  If  religion 
is  actually  a  barrier  against  friendship  and  co-opera- 


PROBLEMS.  147 

tion,  it  would  be  as  strong  against  friendship  with 
the  British  Christians  as  against  Liberian  Christians. 
There  is  no  question,  however,  that  if  the  Government 
of  the  Republic  will  deal  justly,  amicably,  and  wisely 
with  these  tribes,  they  will  heartily  respond. 

The  Kru  and  related  peoples  of  the  coast  form  a 
completely  different  proposition.  They  are  full  of 
force  and  vigor;  Sir  Harry  Johnston  and  others  call 
them  ' '  cheeky ' ' ;  they  are  actually  awake.  They  are 
ready  for  progress ;  they  want  education ;  they  have 
for  centuries  been  in  contact  with  white  men  and 
know  their  strength  and  weakness ;  they  are  strong, 
intelligent,  industrious,  and  want  work.  They  have 
no  dainty  fears  regarding  labor,  so  that  it  be  paid — 
but  pay  they  want,  and  justly.  At  the  present  they 
form  the  strongest  immediate  hope  in  the  Liberian 
population.  We  have  said  that  they  want  education ; 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  they  flock  into  the  schools.  When 
Bishop  Ferguson  was  at  Cape  Palmas,  in  1912,  four 
promising-looking  native  boys  walked  from  Picka- 
ninny Cess,  fifty  miles  to  Cape  Palmas.  They  told 
him  they  had  heard  of  the  big  school  (Epiphany 
Hall)  and  desired  to  attend;  that  another  of  their 
comrades  was  coming  the  following  week.  The  Bishop 
says:  ''They  are  just  the  age  when  the  inducement 
to  go  down  the  coast  to  earn  money  is  strong;  in  fact 
they  had  already  made  several  trips;  but  instead  of 
going  again,  they  had  decided  'to  learn  book'.  I  did 
not  have  the  heart  to  turn  such  applicants  off,  and  so 
wrote  to  the  Principal  to  admit  them  under  special 
arrangement."  When  in  Monrovia,  I  several  times 
visited  the  College  of  West  Africa.  It  is  over-crowded 
and  ministers  to  both  Americo-Liberian  and  natives 
boys.  On  one  occasion  I  seated  myself  in  the  midst  of 
the  class  in  fourth  grade  arithmetic.  The  recitation 
was  well  conducted  and  well  given.  While  black- 
board work  was  occupying  the  general  attention,  I 
remarked  to  a  boy  at  my  side,  "But  you  are  a  native 
boy."  "Yes,"  he  said,  "T  am  Kru — and  so  is  that 
boy,  and  that  one,  and  that  one."     As  a  matter  of 


148  LIBERIA. 

fact,  I  was  practically  surrounded  by  them.  "Well," 
said  I,  "and  how  do  you  native  boys  get  on?  Do 
you  do  well?"  "Yes,  sir,"  was  the  immediate 
response,  "we  do  well;  we  do  better  than  they  do." 
It  was  not  necessary  for  me  to  ask  who  he  meant  by 
"they."  I  answered,  "It  would  sound  better  if 
some  one  else  said  so."  He  replied,  "That  may  be 
so ;  but  it  is  true. "  "  How  does  that  happen  ? "  I 
asked.  His  reply  deserves  attention:  "We  love  our 
country  more  than  they  do,  sir."  I  am  not  pre- 
pared to  assert  that  they  love  their  country  more 
than  the  Americo-Liberians ;  it  is  true,  however,  that 
they  are  passionately  fond  of  their  native  land.  The 
first  time  that  my  personal  attention  was  turned  to 
the  black  Republic  was  in  1905  when  a  Kru  boy  upon 
our  steamer  bound  to  Congo  told  me  with  evident 
affection  of  his  dear,  his  native  land,  and  pointed  out 
to  me  the  distant  green  shore  of  the  villages  where 
his  people  were  located.  And  whether  they  love 
their  country  more  than  the  Americo-Liberians  or 
no,  they  are  more  aggressive,  more  ambitious,  more 
willing  to  work  that  they  may  achieve  their  ends. 
These  Kru  boys  on  their  way  to  and  from  school 
often,  after  my  visit  to  the  College,  dropped  in  to 
see  me.  There  is  the  fixed  intention  among  many  of 
them  to  visit  the  United  States  and  complete  their 
studies  in  our  schools.  One  of  these  boys  informed 
me  that  five  of  them  some  months  ago  had  entered 
into  an  agreement  in  some  way  or  other  to  reach 
our  country.  All  of  them  have  made  .iourneys  on 
steamers  along  the  coast ;  some  of  them  have  been 
to  Europe;  all  of  them"  can  easily  reach  Hamburg 
and  have  money  in  their  pockets;  the  anxious  ques- 
tion with  them  all  is  how  to  go  from  Hamburg  to 
New  York — and  whether  they  will  be  admitted  in 
the  port — and  whether  they  can  form  connections 
after  they  are  in  our  country.  There  is  no  foolish- 
ness in  all  these  plans;  they  have  thought  them  out 
in  detail:    they  will  come. 

Then  there  are  the  pagan  tribes  of  the  interior. 


PROBLEMS.  149 

They  are  a  more  serious  proposition  for  the  Liberian 
than  the  Mohammedans  and  Kru.  They  are  still 
"bush  niggers";  they  live  in  little  towns  under 
the  control  of  petty  chiefs;  most  of  them  speak  only 
a  native  language;  there  is  no  unity  among  them; 
not  only  are  there  jealousies  between  the  tribes,  but 
there  are  suspicions  between  the  villages  of  one  tribe 
and  speech;  they  live  in  native  houses,  wear  little 
clothing,  have  simple  needs;  they  are  ununited  and 
know  nothing  of  the  outside  world — they  know  little 
of  France  or  England,  have  rarely  seen  a  white  man, 
scarcely  know  what  the  Liberian  Government  means 
or  wants;  they  are  satisfied  and  only  wish  to  be  left 
alone ;  they  do  not  need  to  work  steadily — life  is 
easy,  they  raise  sufficient  rice  and  sweet-potatoes  and 
corn  and  cassava  to  feed  themselves;  if  they  wish 
to  cover  their  nakedness,  they  can  weave  cloth  for 
their  own  use;  there  is  little  which  they  need  from 
other  peoples.  Few  know  anything  either  of  the 
teachings  of  the  Prophet  or  Christianity ;  they  prac- 
tice fetish — ' '  devil-worship ' ' — have  their  bush  schools 
for  the  instruction  of  their  boys  and  girls  in  the 
mysteries  of  life  and  of  religion.  They  are  polyga- 
mists,  the  number  of  whose  wives  depends  wholly 
upon  the  ability  to  accumulate  sufficient  wealth  with 
which  to  purchase  them.  Among  them  domestic 
slavery — which,  by  the  way,  is  not  a  matter  which 
need  particularly  call  for  reprehension — is  common; 
some  of  the  tribes  no  doubt  still  practice  cannibalism ; 
It  is  these  tribes  in  the  interior  upon  which  Liberia 
depends  almost  completely  for  the  development  of 
wealth ;  if  Liberia  shall  flourish,  it  is  necessary  that 
these  peoples  shall  produce  and  deliver  the  raw  ma- 
terials for  shipment  to  the  outside  world ;  it  is  these 
peoples  who  must  supply  palm  nuts,  palm  kernels, 
palm  oil,  piassava  fiber,  ivory,  rubber,  gums;  it  is 
these  peoples  who  must  keep  the  trails  open,  and 
develop  them  into  roads ;  it  is  they  who  must  permit 
the  easy  passage  of  soldiers  and  Grovernment  repre- 


150  LIBERIA. 

sentatives  through  their  territories;  it  is  they  who 
must  supply  the  soldiers  for  the  Frontier  Force. 

It  is  clear,  then,  that  the  "natives"  present  no 
simple  problem.  There  are  many  questions  to  be  con- 
sidered in  laying  out  a  native  policy.  The  matter 
has  by  no  means  been  neglected  by  Liberian  rulers; 
one  or  another  of  them  has  grappled  with  it.  Of 
President  Barclay's  native  policy  Gerard  says: 
"Among  many  other  subjects  of  preoccupation,  Bar- 
clay attaches  an  entirely  particular  importance  to 
the  native  policy.  At  the  beginning  of  his  adminis- 
tration, he  brought  together  a  great  number  of 
native  chiefs,  notably  of  the  Gola,  Kondo,  and  Pessy 
tribes;  he  convoked  likewise  a  crowd  of  Kru  and 
Grebo  notabilities;  he  sent  special  missions  along 
the  Cavalla  River  up  to  two  hundred  kilometers 
from  its  mouth,  and  others  up  the  St.  Paul's.  This 
innovation  was  so  much  the  more  appreciated  by 
the  natives,  and  aided  so  much  more  powerfully 
toward  the  development  of  mercantile  relations  of 
the  coast  district  with  the  interior,  because  thereto- 
fore the  repatriated  negroes  had  been  considered  by 
their  subjugated  congeners  only  as  unjust  conquerors 
and  pillagers,  or  as  merchants  who  were  equally 
tricky  and  dishonest." 

President  Howard  also  realizes  the  importance  of 
conciliating  the  native  populations;  he  designs  to 
carry  out  an  active  policy;  in  his  inaugural  address 
he  says:  "We  are  aware  of  the  oft-repeated  charges 
of  ill  treatment  toward  this  portion  of  our  citizen- 
ship, made  by  foreigners  against  the  officers  of  the 
Government,  also  of  the  fact  that  some  of  our  people 
feel  that  these  uncivilized  citizens  have  but  few 
rights  which  should  be  respected  or  accorded  to  them. 
But  the  responsible  citizens  recognize  that  in  order 
for  us  to  obtain  that  position  of  independence,  power, 
and  wealth,  which  we  should  obtain,  it  must  be  ac- 
complished by  the  united  efforts  of  all  citizens, 
civilized  and  uncivilized,  male  and  female.  The  de- 
nial of  equal  rights  to  the  'natives'  has  never  been 


PROBLEMS.  151 

the  intention  or  purpose  of  the  Government.  We  will 
not  disallow  that  much  wrong  has  been  done  to  that 
portion  of  our  citizen  body,  but  it  is  equally  true 
that  much  of  the  deception  and  misunderstanding  of 
the  past  have  been  due  to  machinations  and  subter- 
fuges of  some  unscrupulous  aliens,  among  whom  had 
been  some  missionaries  who  have  done  all  in  their 
power  to  make  and  widen  the  breach  between  the 
two  elements  of  our  citizenship.  We  are  very  opti- 
mistic, however,  in  our  belief  that  the  dangers  of 
such  exploitations  and  false  pretensions  of  friend- 
ships are  drawing  to  a  close." 

Again  he  says:  "Much  of  our  interior  trouble  of 
the  past  has  been  the  result  of  a  lack  of  proper 
understanding  between  ourselves  and  our  fellow- 
citizens  of  that  section  of  the  land.  Another  source 
of  trouble  has  been  the  actions  of  unqualified  men 
sent  among  these  people  to  represent  the  Government. 
We  believe  that  great  good  will  accrue  to  the  State 
by  holding  frequent  conferences  with  these  chiefs  and 
head  men,  and  by  responsible  representatives  of  the 
Government,  explaining-  to  them  its  policy,  the  bene- 
fits to  be  derived  by  them  in  co-operating  to  build 
up  the  country,  as  well  as  the  evils  of  the  inter-tribal 
wars  which  they  have  been  waging  with  each  other 
for  years." 

Exactly  how  to  unite  the  chiefs  with  the  Govern- 
ment is  a  serious  question ;  to  seriously  weaken  their 
authority  among  their  own  people  would  lead  to 
chaos;  to  lead  them  to  recognize  the  supremacy  of 
the  Government  and  yet  not  arouse  their  hostility  by 
the  abrogation  of  their  own  powers  is  a  delicate  task. 
Yet  it  must  be  done.  Of  one  of  the  notable  features 
of  this  inaugural  President  Howard  himself  says  the 
following:  "The  very  large  concourse  of  chiefs  and 
head  men  from  the  interior  of  all  the  counties,  as 
well  as  from  the  Kru  coast  and  most  of  the  Grebo 
towns  in  Maryland,  who  are  up  to  take  part  in  the 
inaugural  exercises,  is  to  me  one  of  the  most  pleasing 
features  of  the  occasion.     Their  presence  here  testi- 


152  LIBERIA, 

fies  to  their  loyalty  to  the  State  and  their  willingness 
to  co-operate  with  the  Government  in  matters  per- 
taining to  the  welfare  of  the  country.  Moreover  it 
betokens  the  kindly  feelings  they  and  their  people 
entertain  toward  the  outgoing,  and  their  well  wishes 
for  the  incoming  administration." 

No  less  difficult  than  the  question  of  how  to  adjust 
the  power  of  the  Government  with  the  power  of  the 
chiefs  is  the  problem  of  how  to  adjust  Liberian  law 
and  practice  to  native  law  and  practice.  According 
to  their  constitution,  Liberia  must  forever  be  with- 
out slavery.  Still  domestic  slavery  flourishes  in  the 
interior.  We  have  already  indicated  our  opinion  that 
it  is  not  a  serious  matter  and  that  it  may  quite  well 
be  left  to  regulate  itself  with  time;  still  there  is 
bound  to  be  an  outcry  on  the  part  of  outsiders  in  this 
matter.  Liberia  as  a  civilized  and  Christian  nation 
is  legally  monogamous;  yet  both  among  Moham- 
medans, Kru  and  pagan  interior  tribes  polygamy  is 
common.  Is  it  wise,  is  it  possible  to  extend  the 
monogamous  law  of  the  Republic  to  the  polygamous 
natives?  Cannibalism  no  doubt  still  exists  among 
certain  of  the  interior  tribes;  if  so,  it  will  be  long 
before  the  strong  arm  of  the  Government  located 
upon  the  coast  can  reach  the  practice.  Among  all 
these  native  tribes  there  are  methods  of  procedure 
and  ordeals  which  have  their  value  and  their  place. 
Thus  the  sassy-wood  ordeal  is  used  not  only  in  deal- 
ing with  witchcraft,  but  with  a  thousand  other  diffi- 
culties and  misdemeanors;  personally  I  should 
consider  it  unwise  to  attempt  to  do  away  with  such 
native  methods  of  control ;  they  work  more  certainly 
than  the  legal  procedure  of  the  civilized  government 
can  work.  A  wise  policy  will  probably  lead  to  the 
gradual  disappearance  of  these  things  with  a  gen- 
eral advance  in  education  and  with  a  greater  contact 
with  the  outside  world.  There  is  always,  however, 
the  danger  of  these  native  practices  extending  their 
influence  upon  the  Christian  populations  in  the  out- 
side settlements.     If  the  bush  negro  is  polygamous, 


PROBLEMS,  153 

and  the  Amerieo-Liberian  is  iu  constant  contact  with 
his  polygamy,  the  legal  monogamy  of  the  Government 
may  become  more  difficult  to  maintain;  if  the  sassy- 
wood  ordeal  is  repeatedly  seen  to  be  effective  in  the 
conviction  of  the  truly  guilty,  there  will  be  a  con- 
stant tendency  to  reproduce  it  for  the  detection  and 
discrimination  of  criminals  among  the  civilized;  if 
domestic  slavery  is  tolerable  among  the  neighboring 
pagans,  a  feeling  of  the  harmlessness  of  some  vicious 
system  of  apprenticeship  may  be  developed.  These 
are  real  dangers,  and  while  it  probably  is  wise  to 
exercise  a  deal  of  tolerance  toward  native  customs, 
it  must  be  constantly  and  carefully  watched  from 
this  point  of  view. 

The  native  life  is  certainly  good  in  many  ways; 
all  that  is  actually  good  in  it  should  be  left  so  far 
as  possible.  Native  houses  are  well  adapted  to  the 
conditions  of  the  country  and  nothing  is  gained  by 
the  attempt  to  change  the  styles  of  local  architecture ; 
scantness  of  clothing,  or  even  nakedness,  is  not  im- 
moral, suggestive,  or  in  itself  worthy  of  blame — and 
native  dress,  though  scanty,  may  be  entirely  becom- 
ing and  even  beautiful ;  there  are  many  native  arts 
— which,  far  from  being  blotted  out,  might  well  be 
conserved  and  developed ;  public  palavers  in  native 
communities  are  often  models  of  dignified  conduct 
and  serious  consideration ;  the  respect  shown  to  na- 
tive chiefs  is  often  warranted  and  in  every  way 
should  be  encouraged  and  developed.  The  topic 
lends  itself  to  many  observations  and  tempts  to  full 
development.  We  can  only  say,  however,  that  there 
are  actually  few  things  in  native  life  which  deserve 
condemnation  and  immediate  destruction.  The  na- 
tives will  be  happier,  better,  and  make  more  certain 
progress  if  they  are  permitted  to  build  largely  upon 
their  own  foundations.  Dr.  Blyden  was  always  beg- 
ging the  people  to  make  an  African  nation  in  Liberia, 
not  the  copy  of  a  European  state.  Delafosse  carries 
the  same  plea  to  an  even  greater  extreme.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  actually  meet  the  wishes  of  these  gentlemen. 


154  LIBERIA. 

Liberia  is  and  must  be  patterned  after  other  civilized 
nations.  Such  a  native  African  state,  original  in 
all  things,  and  purely  African,  as  Delafosse 
imagines,  would  not  be  permitted  to  exist  a  single 
week  by  the  crowding,  selfish,  civilized  and  Chris- 
tian foreign  nations.  If  Liberia  is  to  play  within 
the  game,  it  must  follow  the  rules  of  play. 

In  dealing  with  its  natives,  the  government  should 
be  frank,  honest,  and  candid;  it  should  make  no 
promises  unless  it  knows  that  it  can  keep  them — un- 
less it  means  to  keep  them — unless  it  will  keep  them. 
Too  many  times  in  the  past,  when  misunderstandings 
have  led  to  armed  resistance  on  the  part  of  native 
peoples,  the  Government  has  appealed  to  one  or  an- 
other man  of  great  personal  influence  among  the 
aroused  natives.  Facing  danger,  frightened,  want- 
ing peace  at  any  price,  it  has  authorized  its  repre- 
sentative to  make  promises  of  satisfaction  which  it 
knew  perfectly  well  could  not  and  would  not  be  kept. 
Such  a  temporizing  policy  is  always  bad;  it  not  only 
fails  to  right  wrongs,  but  destroys  the  trust  of  natives 
in  the  government,  and  shatters  the  influence  for 
good  which  the  intermediary  formerly  enjoyed. 

It  is  time  that,  in  dealing  with  the  natives,  chiefs 
be  considered  as  men  and  dealt  with  not  as  if  they 
were  spoiled  children;  appeals  should  be  made  to 
manhood  and  to  principle,  not  to  depraved  ambitious 
tendencies.  Less  gin  and  more  cloth  should  be  used 
in  gaining  their  assistance.  President  Howard  per- 
tinently says  in  this  direction :  ' '  By  way  of  encour- 
aging the  'natives'  to  stay  at  home  and  develop  their 
lands,  we  feel  that  instead  of  granting  'stipends' 
and  'dashes'  as  formerly,  they  should  be  given  only 
to  the  chiefs  and  people  who  will  put  on  the  market 
so  many  hundred  bushels  of  kernels,  or  gallons  of 
oil,  so  many  pounds  of  ivory,  rubber,  coffee,  cocoa, 
ginger,  etc.,  or  so  many  hundred  kroos  of  clean  rice. 
The  proceeds  of  these  products,  of  course,  would  go 
to  the  owners.  "We  feel  that  this  plan  would  have  a 
better  result  than  the  one  now  in  vogue." 


PROBLEMS.  155 

That  there  should  be  a  feeling  of  caste  in  the 
Republic  is  natural.  There  are  actual  differences 
between  the  four  populations  which  we  have  indicated. 
It  is  impossible  that  Americo-Liberians,  Mohamme- 
dans, coast  peoples,  and  interior  natives  should  not 
feel  that  they  are  different  from  each  other,  and  in 
this  difference  find  motives  of  conduct.  This  feeling 
of  difference  is  based  upon  actual  inherent  facts  of 
difference,  and  can  not  be  expected  to  disappear.  It 
should,  however,  give  rise  to  mutual  respect,  not  to 
prejudice  and  inequality  of  treatment.  Every  motive 
of  sound  policy  must  lead  the  Liberian  in  the  civil- 
ized settlements  to  recognize  the  claims,  the  rights, 
the  opportunities  which  lie  within  this  difference.  He 
needs  the  friendship  of  the  "bush  nigger"  far  more 
than  that  pagan  needs  his.  Caste  in  the  sense  of 
proud  discrimination  of  social  difference  and  the  in- 
troduction of  over-bearing  treatment  must  be  avoided. 
It  is  suicide  to  encourage  and  permit  the  development 
of  such  a  feeling. 

In  the  nature  of  things,  constant  intermarriage 
takes  place  between  the  Americo-Liberians  and  the 
natives.  There  is  more  or  less  prejudice  against  such 
connections,  but  they  have  taken  place  ever  since  the 
days  of  the  first  settlement.  They  are,  for  the  most 
part,  one-sided,  Americo-Liberian  men  marrying 
native  women.  The  other  relation,  namely  that  of 
native  men  with  Liberian  women,  is  so  rare  that  it 
may  almost  be  said  not  to  occur.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion that  these  mixtures  should  tend  to  produce  a 
good  result,  the  children  inheriting  physical  strength 
and  fitness  to  their  surroundings  beyond  that  of  the 
Americo-Liberian.  There  is,  however,  a  danger  in 
such  unions;  the  native  woman  has  all  her  associa- 
tions and  connections  with  her  own  people,  and  there 
is  a  constant  tendency  for  the  husband  to  assume  a 
position  of  influence  among  the  natives,  adopting 
more  or  less  of  their  customs,  and  suffering  the  re- 
lapse of  which  we  hear  so  often.    None  the  less  it  is 


156  LIBERIA. 

certain  that  such  mixtures  are  more  than  likely  to 
increase  in  number  with  the  passage  of  time. 

A  notable  influence  upon  the  native  problem  may 
be  expected  from  the  Frontier  Force.  The  soldiers 
for  this  force  are  regularly  drawn  from  the  tribes 
of  the  interior.  It  is  easy  to  get  Boozi  Mpesse, 
and  their  neighbors  in  large  numbers.  They  come 
to  Monrovia  as  almost  naked  savages,  with  no  know- 
ledge of  the  outside  world,  but  with  strong,  well- 
developed  bodies;  they  are  quite  amenable  to  train- 
ing and  quickly  make  improvement ;  they  have  almost 
the  minds  of  children,  and  are  easily  led  in  either 
direction ;  if  well  treated,  they  have  a  real  affection 
for  their  officers;  if  they  are  badly  treated,  they  are 
morose,  dispirited,  and  dangerous.  They  love  the 
companionship,  the  bustle,  the  music,  and  the  uni- 
forms, and  rather  quickly  submit  themselves  with 
fair  grace  to  discipline.  They  regularly  bring  their 
women  and  their  boy  slaves  with  them  from  their 
distant  homes,  and  these  live  together  in  special 
houses  constructed  at  the  border  of  the  barracks- 
grounds.  As  the  government  not  infrequently  is  in 
arrears  in  paying  them  their  wages,  there  are  times 
when  the  camp  is  full  of  insubordination  and  bad 
feeling;  at  such  times  there  is  always  danger,  unless 
the  officers  are  tactful,  of  their  becoming  mutinous, 
and  demanding  payment  with  a  show  and  threat  of 
force.  It  is  not  impossible  that  some  time  on  such 
occasions  serious  results  may  occur.  When  the  term 
of  enlistment  has  ended,  these  soldiers  may  go  back 
to  their  towns  and  villages,  carrying  with  them  the 
effect  of  the  influences,  good  or  bad,  to  which  they 
have  been  subjected  at  the  capital.  Not  a  few  of  them, 
however,  re-enlist  for  a  second,  or  even  a  third,  term 
of  service.  The  effect  of  this  training  must  be  very 
great  upon  the  tribes.  It  could  be  made  a  most  im- 
portant influence  for  raising  the  condition  of  the 
whole  interior;  there  is  no  more  certain  way  by 
which  the  people  of  the  remoter  tribes  may  come  to 
know  about  the  Government. 


PROBLEMS,  157 

We  have  read  dreadful  accounts  of  the  relapse  of 
civilized  natives  to  their  old  form  of  life.  Bright 
boys  taken  from  the  interior  towns  and  villages  are 
trained  in  mission  schools,  or  even  sent  to  the  United 
States,  and  given  a  fairly  liberal  education.  They 
have  become  nominal  Christians;  they  have  learned 
English  and  can  read  and  write;  they  wear  white 
men's  dress  and  seem  to  have  adopted  white  men's 
ways;  much  is  expected  of  them  when  they  return 
to  their  native  country  in  the  way  of  mission  effort 
with  their  people.  After  they  return,  all  changes ; 
their  Christianity  takes  flight;  having  no  one  but 
their  own  people  with  whom  to  converse,  they  return 
to  the  native  dialect;  as  the  European  dress  wears 
out,  they  soon  possess  a  nondescript  wardrobe ;  in- 
stead of  leading  their  people  in  the  ways  of  industry, 
they  sit  down  at  ease ;  gradually  they  resume  natural 
relations  with  their  people  and  play  the  part  of  ad- 
visers to  the  chiefs,  or  even  themselves  become  petty 
chiefs;  of  them  it  is  frequently  claimed  that  they 
have  all  the  vices  of  Christian  and  pagan  and  none 
of  the  virtues  of  either.  There  is  more  or  less  of 
reality  in  such  accounts.  But  it  is  not  true,  even  in 
these  cases,  that  nothing  has  been  gained.  One  must 
not  expect  rare  individuals  to  produce  rapid  results 
in  a  great  mass  of  population.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
the  result  is  harmful.  The  importance,  however,  of 
impressing  upon  all  children,  who  are  taken  into 
mission  schools,  their  relation  to  the  government, 
their  duty  to  it,  and  the  advantage  of  co-operation 
with  it,  should  be  profoundly  emphasized ;  in  such 
schools  loyalty  is  as  important  a  subject  for  inculca- 
tion as  religion,  reading,  and  industry.  If  as  much 
care  were  taken  to  instruct  the  mission  child  in  his 
duties  as  a  citizen,  as  is  taken  in  other  directions, 
every  one  of  these  persons  on  their  return  to  the  bush 
would  be  a  genuinely  helpful  and  elevating  influ- 
ence. It  is  also  true  that  Americo-Liberians  occasion- 
ally take  to  the  bush.  Sometimes  they  are  persons 
who  have  had  difficulties  in  the  settlements  and  find 


158  .  LIBERIA. 

it  convenient  to  change  location ;  sometimes  they  are 
men  who  have  married  native  women  and  find  it 
easier  and  more  profitable  to  turn  their  attention 
toward  the  natives;  sometimes  they  are  traders  who 
spend  about  one-half  their  time  in  settlements  and 
the  other  half  in  going  from  town  to  town  to  secure 
products;  sometimes  they  are  shiftless  vagabonds 
merely  drifting  from  place  to  place  in  order  to  avoid 
labor.  Such  Liberians  among  the  natives  may  be 
found  everywhere.  They  are  usually  of  little  value 
to  those  among  whom  they  live.  But  the  fact  that 
there  are  such  should  not  be  over-emphasized.  It  is 
by  no  means  true  that  the  Americo-Liberians  as  a 
whole  tend  to  throw  off  civilization  and  to  become 
degenerate. 

From  this  native  mass  much  that  has  been  helpful 
to  the  nation  has  already  been  secured.  Work  among 
them  has  always  been  accompanied  by  encouraging 
results.  Two-thirds  of  the  communicants  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  are  natives;  they  show 
as  true  a  character,  as  keen  a  mind,  as  high  ideals, 
often  more  vigor,  than  the  Americo-Liberians  in  the 
same  churches.  Wherever  the  native  is  given  the 
same  just  chance  as  his  Liberian  brother,  he  gives 
an  immediate  response.  At  the  Girls'  School  in 
Bromley,  and  among  the  boys  at  Clay-Ashland,  na- 
tives and  Liberians  do  the  same  work  and  offer  the 
same  promise ;  so  in  the  College  of  West  Africa 
the  Kru  boys  are  every  whit  as  good  as  the  Liberians. 
The  number  of  natives  who  are  at  present  occupying 
positions  of  consequence  in  the  Republic  is  encour- 
aging. The  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  Educa- 
tion, Dr.  Payne,  is  a  Bassa;  Mr.  Massaquoi,  a  Vai, 
holds  the  chief  clerkship  in  the  Department  of  the 
Interior:  Senator  Karris  is  the  son  of  a  native, 
Bassa,  mother:  Mr.  Karnga,  member  of  the  House 
of  Pepresentatives.  is  a  son  of  a  recaptured  African 
— a  Kongo ;  Dr.  Anthony,  a  Bassa,  is  Professor  of 
Mathematics  in  Liberia  College ;  there  are  numbers 
of  Grebo  clergymen  of  prominence  and  success  within 


PROBLEMS,  159 

the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church — as  McKrae,  who 
is  pastor  of  the  flourishing  Kru  Chapel  at  Monrovia, 
and  Russell,  Avho  is  pastor  of  the  Liberian  Church  at 
Grand  Bassa. 

The  natives,  after  all,  are  the  chief  asset  of  the 
nation.  Only  by  their  co-operation  can  aggression 
and  pressure  from  outside  be  resisted;  carefully  de- 
veloped and  wisely  utilized,  they  must  and  will  be 
the  defense  and  strength  of  the  Liberian  nation. 
Even  if  immigration  on  an  enormous  scale,  a  thing 
not  to  be  expected,  should  take  place,  the  native  popu- 
lation will  never  be  submerged ;  it  will  continue  to 
maintain  supremacy  in  numbers. 


For  support  given  to  education,  Liberia  holds  the  first  place 
among  West  African  administrations.  Sierra  Leone,  with  a 
revenue  six  times  greater  than  Liberia,  spends  only  one-fifth 
of  the  sum  devoted  by  our  State  to  the  cause  of  public  instruc- 
tion.— A.  Barclay. 

EDUCATION. 

The  importance  of  education  was  recognized  by 
the  "fathers."  The  quotation  of  President  Roberts 
which  we  have  given  above  voiced  the  feelings  of  the 
more  thoughtful  of  the  settlers.  Yet  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  the  educational  situation  is  far  from  per- 
fect. There  is  a  recently  establish  Department  of 
Education,  the  Secretary  of  which  holds  a  Cabinet 
position.  In  1912  Dr.  Payne  had  under  his  direc- 
tion ninet,y-one  public  schools  in  different  parts  of 
the  Republic.  Most  of  these  schools  were  housed  in 
buildings  totally  unsuited  to  their  purpose;  they 
were  small,  badly  built,  and  unsupplied  with  even 
the  barest  equipment.  There  are  no  book-stores  in 
Liberia,  and  there  is  a  notable  lack  of  suitable  text- 
books for  the  children's  use;  there  are  few  black- 
boards and  those  of  poor  quality ;  the  desks,  seats, 
and  other  furniture  are  conspicuous  either  for  their 
absence  or  poor  quality.  Teachers  are  frequently 
badly  prepared;  they  not  infrequently  neglect  their 
duties;  the  number  of  days  of  teaching  is  uncertain 
— as  often  the  teachers  will  be  occupied  with  other 
work  than  that  to  which  they  are  supposed  to  devote 
their  time  and  attention.  Salaries  are  very  low  and 
badly  paid.  Mr.  Deputie,  once  Superintendent  of 
Education,  in  his  report  of  1905,  appealing  to  the 
legislature,  said  :  ' '  Lend  a  hand  by  your  official  acts 
that  will  tend  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the 
teachers  in  the  public  schools,  that  they  may  receive 

160 


PROBLEMS.  161 

a  just  recompense  of  reward.  Some  of  these  teachers, 
after  serving  faithfully  during  the  quarter,  receive 
only  ten  shillings  on  their  bills,  while  many  others 
of  them  receive  not  a  shilling."  In  1910  Mr.  Edwin 
Barclay  was  General  Superintendent  of  the  Schools. 
He  made  a  careful  study  of  the  situation  and  in  his 
report  presents  interesting  statistics  and  facts  with 
reference  to  the  condition.  He  made  a  series  of 
thoughtful  recommendations  for  the  future,  and 
drew  up  an  entire  scheme  of  proposed  legislation. 
Much  of  that  which  he  suggested  has  been  approved 
and  theoretically  put  in  practice.  In  regard  to  the 
matter  of  teachers'  salaries,  he  makes  an  interesting 
statement  in  tabulated  form,  comparing  the  average 
salaries  of  teachers  with  those  of  clerks  in  the  de- 
partment of  the  Government  and  in  mercantile  estab- 
lishments. He  shows  us  that  the  average  salary  of 
public  school  teachers  at  that  time  was  $143.95  per 
year;  that  this  salary  was  stationary  and  without 
increment  of  any  kind.  At  that  same  time,  clerks  in 
government  departments  received  an  average  salary 
of  $321.29  per  year  with  definite  chance  of  promotion 
and  a  career  before  them.  Clerks  in  mercantile  es- 
tablishments did  even  better,  receiving  an  average 
annual  salary  of  $865.90  a  year  with  contingent  in- 
crement annually  of  from  twenty  to  fifty  per  cent  on 
net  profits.  It  is  hardly  strange  under  the  circum- 
stances that  good  teachers  are  rare  and  that  promis- 
ing young  men  should  look  to  other  fields  than  that 
of  teaching.  Three  grades  of  teachers  are  recognized 
in  the  public  schools ;  all  teachers  are  required  to 
pass  an  examination  and  receive  certificates;  second 
grade  teachers  receive  thirty  dollars  per  year  more 
than  third  grade  teachers,  and  teachers  of  first  grade, 
thirty  dollars  more  than  those  of  second  grade.  Pub- 
lic schools  are  subject  to  the  inspection  of  a  local 
school  committee  which  "consists  of  three  good, 
honest,  substantial  citizens  of  the  locality,  having  an 
interest  in  education.  Sex  ought. not  to  be  a  barrier. 
They  need  not  be  highly  educated,  but  should  be  able 


162  LIBERIA. 

to  read  and  write  intelligently  and  earnest  friends 
of  education."  Membership  in  the  committee  is 
purely  honorary,  no  fee  accompanying  the  appoint- 
ment. The  members  of  the  committee  are  to  take  an 
annual  census  of  children  of  school  age  and  to  see 
that  they  attend  school;  they  are  to  keep  tab  on  the 
teacher  and  report  him  if  he  be  guilty  of  immoral 
conduct  or  fails  to  advance  his  school.  Each  county 
has  a  school  Commissioner  whose  business  it  is  to 
examine  candidates  for  teaching,  to  employ  and 
direct  teachers,  to  approve  bills  of  salary,  to  visit 
each  school  in  his  district  without  announcement  at 
least  once  a  quarter,  to  remove  and  replace  teachers, 
to  make  reports  to  the  General  Superintendent,  to 
supply  text-books,  and  hold  annual  teachers'  meet- 
ings in  order  to  develop  greater  ability  on  the  part 
of  the  instructors.  Compulsory  education  is  recog- 
nized in  the  Republic ;  as,  however,  many  young 
people  are  obliged  to  assist  in  the  support  of  the 
families  to  which  they  belong,  night  schools  are  pro- 
vided for  those  who  may  be  working  during  the  hours 
of  the  day.  The  public  schools  are  practically  con- 
fined to  the  Americo-Liberian  settlements.  The  latest 
definite  statistics  in  regard  to  the  number  of  chil- 
dren in  attendance  on  the  public  schools  are  those  of 
1910.  At  that  time  1782  children  were  in  the  schools ; 
of  these  1225  were  civilized,  557  uncivilized,  i.  e., 
native ;  the  distribution  according  to  counties  was  as 
follows :  In  Grand  Bassa  County,  407  ;  in  Maryland 
County,  148 ;  in  Montserrado  County,  947 ;  in  Sinoe 
County,  280.  The  instillation  of  patriotism  into  the 
young  mind  is  regarded  as  a  matter  of  importance, 
and  it  is  required  that  the  flag  of  the  Republic  shall 
be  daily  displayed  at  every  school-house  or  place 
where  public  school  is  held;  and  "the  hoisting  and 
striking  of  colors  at  the  daily  opening  and  close  of 
school  session  shall  be  attended  with  such  ceremonies 
as  shall  tend  to  instill  into  the  minds  of  the  pupils 
a  respect  and  veneration  for  the  flag  and  a  knowledge 
of  the  principle  for  which  it  stands." 


PROBLEMS.  163 

The  public  schools,  however,  are  probably  less 
numerous,  and  certainly  reach  fewer  scholars  than 
the  various  mission  schools  conducted  by  the  differ- 
ent denominations.  At  the  time  that  Mr.  Barclay 
made  his  report  he  claimed  but  sixty-five  public 
schools  to  ninety  mission  schools.  While  the  public 
schools  reached  1782  schools,  the  mission  schools  had 
an  attendance  of  3270  children. 

Denomination  Schools      Pupils      Teachers 

Methodist  Episcopal   35  1,300  55 

Baptist   1  25  1 

Lutheran    7  275  13 

Protestant    Episcopal    47  1,670  55 

Total    90  3,270  124 

These  mission  schools  very  largely  reach  a  native 
population ;  it  is  true  that  some  Liberians  attend 
them,  but  the  larger  number  in  the  attendance  is 
from  native  families;  all  the  schools  located  in  na- 
tive towns  are,  probably,  under  mission  guidance. 
In  some  respects  these  schools  are  distinctly  superior 
to  the  public  schools  of  the  Republic.  Their  teachers, 
with  higher  salaries,  devote  themselves  with  more 
energy  to  their  work ;  text-books  are  supplied  and 
the  equipment  for  school  work  is  better;  the  build- 
ings, too,  both  in  construction,  lighting,  and  adapta- 
tion to  their  work,  are  better.  A  glance  at  the  table 
shows  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is  in 
the  lead.  The  work  reported  by  Bishop  Ferguson  in 
his  last  annual  report  is  most  encouraging.  Two 
schools  at  Cape  Mount,  one  for  boys  and  one  for 
girls,  care  for  both  boarding  and  day  students;  at 
Monrovia  the  parish  school  is  attended  by  157  Kru 
children;  the  Girls'  School  at  Bromley,  with  78 
boarding  pupils,  is  flourishing;  at  Clay- Ashland  the 
new  Alexander  Crummell  Hall  was  nearing  comple- 
tion, and  the  young  men  and  boys  there  were  full  of 
enthusiasm;  in  Grand  Bassa  County  parish  day 
schools  were  conducted  at  Edina,  Upper  Buchanan, 
and  Lower  Buchanan;    at  Tobakoni  work  for  Kru 


164  LIBERIA. 

boys  was  conducted  at  a  boarding  school  which  had 
recently  extended  its  work  to  the  neighboring  village 
of  Nito;  in  Sinoe  County  both  a  parish  day  school 
and  a  boarding  school  were  maintained ;  in  Maryland 
County,  where  the  work  of  this  mission  culminates, 
there  is  Cuttington  Collegiate  and  Divinity  School 
with  121  pupils,  the  Orphan  Asylum  and  Girls' 
School,  St.  Mark's  Parish  School,  the  boarding  school 
at  Mount  Vaughn,  and  thirteen  boarding  and  day 
schools  at  other  places.  We  have  no  adequate  infor- 
mation regarding  the  excellent  work  of  the  Metho- 
dist schools  and  those  of  other  denominations.  Their 
work  is,  however,  actively  conducted.  The  Luther- 
ans, from  their  centre  at  Muhlenburg,  make  the  cen- 
tral idea  of  their  mission  effort  the  educational  work ; 
they  emphasize,  too,  the  manual  phase  of  education 
and  encourage  the  development  of  arts,  industries, 
and  agriculture. 

Two  of  the  mission  schools  demand  special  men- 
tion, as  they  represent  the  highest  development  of 
educational  work  in  the  Republic.  These  are: 
Epiphany  Hall,  Cuttington,  four  and  a  half  miles 
from  Cape  Palmas,  and  the  College  of  West  Africa., 
located  at  Monrovia. 

The  work  at  Cuttington  began  in  1889,  when  the 
Cuttington  Collegiate  and  Divinity  School  waS' 
founded  nnder  the  auspices  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church.  One  of  the  basic  principles  in  Mary- 
land since  its  foundation  has  been  the  development 
of  agriculture.  The  efforts  of  the  founders  of  the 
colony  were  exerted  against  trade  and  in  favor  of 
production.  This  desirable  ideal  has  never  been  lost. 
At  Epiphany  Hall  an  important  part  of  the  school's 
plan  is  that  students  should  be  taught  to  work:  a 
coffee  plantation  and  a  farm  are  connected  with  the 
school,  and  fonr  hours  a  day  of  practical  agriculture 
and  horticulture  are  required;  connected  with  this 
school  also  is  a  printing  establishment  at  Harper,  the 
work  of  which  is  done  by  students  of  the  school.  So 
far  as  the  literary  work  is  concerned,  the  school  is 


PROBLEMS.  165 

divided  into  three  departments — preparatory,  higher, 
and  theological.  The  work  in  the  preparatory  school 
covers  four  years;  it  is  primarily  arranged  with  na- 
tive needs  in  mind,  but  other  students  are  admitted. 
The  work  of  the  higher  school  consists  of  a  two  years' 
advanced  course,  two  years  of  collegiate  work,  a  year 's 
course  for  a  certificate  of  proficiency  in  general  educa- 
tion, and  a  normal  course.  The  work  of  the  theolog- 
ical school  covers  three  years,  and  is  arranged  with 
reference  to  preparation  for  the  ministry. 

The  College  of  West  Africa  is  located  at  Monrovia, 
and  is  under  the  direction  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  building  is  an  ugly  structure  of  brick 
which  has  served  its  purpose  for  a  long  time  and 
which  should  soon  be  replaced  by  a  new  and  better 
building.  It  is,  however,  a  hive  of  industry;  it  is 
crowded  with  boys  and  girls  who  are  earnestly  desir- 
ing an  education.  A  great  number  of  the  students 
live  in  the  building  as  boarders;  many  also  come 
from  the  town  of  Monrovia  and  from  "Krutown." 
The  teachers  are  mostly  American  negroes  who  have 
been  trained  in  our  southern  schools.  The  courses 
offered  cover  a  considerable  range. 

The  work  in  this  institution  began  in  1839  under 
Jabez  A.  Burton,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Anne  Wilkins  and 
Mrs.  Eunice  Moore.  The  present  building  was  erected 
in  1849  at  an  expense  of  $10,000.  The  work  of  the 
school  is  divided  among  seven  departments.  The 
primary  school  covers  three  years;  the  grammar 
school  three  years;  the  high  school  two  years.  There 
is  a  normal  course  for  the  preparation  of  teachers ; 
in  the  college  preparatory  and  the  college  depart- 
ments the  classics  are  taught.  In  the  biblical  depart- 
ment the  design  is  to  prepare  religious  workers. 
There  is  an  industrial  department  in  which  instruc- 
tion is  given  in  carpentry,  tin-smithing,  shoe-making, 
black-smithing,  and  printing;  in  this  department 
girls  receive  instruction  in  home-training.  The  print- 
ing establishment  demands  particular  notice;  almost 
all  the  unofficial  printing  of  the  Republic,  outside  of 


166  LIBERIA. 

the  county  of  Maryland,  is  done  upon  the  press 
of  the  College  of  West  Africa.  Many  creditable 
pieces  of  workmanship  have  been  put  out  by  this 
institution  and  the  mission  paper,  Liberia  and  West 
Africa,  is  printed  here.  The  college  conducts  night 
schools  for  those  who  can  not  attend  during  the  day- 
time. Regular  charges  are  made  for  tuition,  text- 
books, and — to  those  students  who  board  in  the  insti- 
tution— for  room,  board,  and  washing.  These  charges 
are  extremely  modest  and  can  be  rather  easily  met; 
through  the  opportunities  connected  with  the  indus- 
trial department  students  who  wish  to  earn  their 
education  can  largely  do  so.  With  the  exception  of 
printing,  the  work  of  the  industrial  school  is  con- 
ducted outside  of  the  city  of  Monrovia. 

We  have  already  stated  that  the  mission  schools 
are  better  equipped  and  more  attractive  than  the 
public  schools.  The  work  of  such  schools  is  desirable 
and  should  be  encouraged  and  developed.  At  the 
same  time  it  is  true  that  in  such  schools  exists  an 
element  of  possible  danger.  This  is  brought  out  by 
Mr.  Barclay  in  his  report.  He  says:  "As  regards 
the  mission  schools,  if  we  observe  attentively  the  final 
efforts  of  their  endeavors,  we  will  discover  that,  when 
they  have  operated  exclusively  in  civilized  centers, 
they  have  been  a  great  public  service  and  in  many 
cases  have  supplied  the  v/ant  of  a  public  school  sys- 
tem. But,  on  the  other  hand,  where  the  scope  of 
their  operations  has  extended  beyond  these  centers, 
to  districts  wholly  or  mainly  uncivilized,  their  care 
has  been  to  'save  souls'  rather  than  to  create  citi- 
zens or  to  develop  proper  ideals  of  citizenship.  Their 
tendency  is  toward  denationalization.  Here,  then,  is 
where  they  come  in  conflict,  unconsciously  perhaps, 
with  the  imperative  policy  of  the  government.  Pupils 
coming  to  attend  the  mission  schools,  for  however 
short  a  period,  leave  with  a  feeling  of  antagonism 
to  constituted  authority,  or  at  best,  with  no  senti- 
ments of  congeniality  with  the  civilized  element  either 
in  aspirations  or  ideals.    On  returning  to  their  homes. 


PROBLEMS.  167 

they  develop  into  pernicious  and  vehement  dema- 
gogues. Fomenting  the  tribal  spirit  in  opposition 
to  the  national  ideal,  they  frequently  lead  their  peo- 
ple to  foolish  and  irrational  measures,  and  stir  up 
misunderstanding  and  discord  between  them  and  the 
Government.  They  pose  as  arbiters  between  these 
two  parties  to  their  own  profit,  and,  finally,  when  dis- 
covered, are  discredited  by  both.  The  net  result  of 
this  missionary  activity,  unsupervised  and  unregu- 
lated, is  to  create  an  element  of  discord  in  the  State, 
which  it  becomes  imperative  to  stamp  out  by  force 
and  at  great  expense  to  the  public.  These  facts  of 
course  do  not  apply  universally;  but  they  are  suffi- 
ciently general  to  attract  attention  and  to  call  for 
amelioration  of  the  condition  which  they  point  out 
as  existing.  It  should  not  be  thought  that  these  re- 
marks are  intended  or  designed  to  discredit  absolutely 
all  missionary  enterprises.  But  what  I  do  desire  to 
point  out  is  that  some  supervision  should  be  exercised 
over  these  schools  by  the  Government.  Under  the 
direction  of  unscrupulous  and  unsympathetic  people, 
they  may  be  made  powerful  agencies  of  disintegra- 
tion in  the  State.  It  must  not  be  overlooked  that 
the  foreign  missionary  does  not  feel  himself  called 
upon  to  help  direct  in  the  process  of  nation-building. 
His  aspirations  are  after  spreading  his  own  form  of 
superstition  and  toward  the  realization  of  his  particu- 
lar moral  Utopia." 

Again  he  says:  ".  .  .  all  private  affairs, 
when  they  impinge  on  the  domain  of  public  affairs, 
or  assume  a  quasi-public  character,  must  become  the 
subject  of  regulation  by  public  authority.  So  far  as 
internal  administration  goes,  the  State  has,  and  can 
claim,  no  concern  so  long  as  such  administration 
squares  with  legality.  But  public  authority  must 
step  in  when  these  schools  become  potent  factors  in 
public  economy.  We  have  been  led,  therefore,  to  the 
suggestion  that  such  schools  as  are  established  by  for- 
eign and  domestic  mission  societies  in  the  Republic, 
should  conform,  in  their  primary  grades  especially. 


168  LIBERIA. 

to  the  requirements  of  law  for  the  public  schools, 
and  that  the  Department  of  Public  Instruction  should 
have  the  right  to  inspect  these  schools  in  order 
to  find  out  if  the  conditions  are  being  kept.  To 
secure  this,  every  school,  before  beginning  operations, 
should  be  registered  at  the  Department  of  Public  In- 
struction, and  licensed  to  this  end.  Where  the  legal 
requirements  have  not  been  kept,  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, or  other  educational  authority,  should  have  the 
power  of  summarily  closing  said  school.  These  regu- 
lations are  necessary  when  we  consider  the  peculiar 
conditions  which  confront  us  in  the  administration 
of  the  country." 

Again  he  says:  "While  the  State  must  in  great 
measure  depend  upon  the  public  spirit  and  mission- 
ary zeal  of  individual  citizens  in  fomenting  and  cre- 
ating the  national  spirit,  it  is,  a  priori,  the  duty  of 
the  people  in  their  collective  capacity  to  provide 
capital  means  to  this  end.  If  the  country  is  to  be 
utilized,  if  we  are  to  develop  into  a  strong  nation, 
capable  of  demanding  universal  respect,  and  worthy 
of  taking  that  leading  place  among  African  states 
and  the  African  civilization,  which  is  our  destiny, 
the  preoccupation  of  government  for  the  next  two 
or  three  generations  must  be  in  the  direction  of  de- 
veloping a  specific  type  of  citizens,  animated  by  an 
identical  spirit,  filled  with  an  unbounded  faith  in 
their  destiny,  and  possessed  and  inspired  by  the  same 
ideals.  As  this  is  to  be  effected  through  the  schools, 
we  can  not  escape  the  impressions:  (a)  That  some 
central  authority  of  the  State  must  supervise  all 
educational  operations  in  the  country;  (b)  that,  if 
mission  schools  and  private  corporate  and  non-cor- 
porate institutions  be  allowed,  they  must  operate  sub- 
ject to  limitations  imposed  by  law  as  regards  the 
course  of  study,  the  general  character  of  instruction, 
and  the  special  object  to  be  obtained,  especially  in 
the  primary  grades.  In  other  words,  they  must  assist 
in  developing  the  civic  instincts  of  the  pupils;    (c) 


PROBLEMS.  169 

that  a  uniform  system  of  training  must  be  rigidly, 
consciously,  and  universally  enforced." 

The  matter  suggested  by  these  quotations  is  really 
of  considerable  importance.  The  central  thought  of 
them  is  surely  sound;  all  mission  schools,  while  en- 
tirely free  to  teach  religion  according  to  their  own 
tenets,  should  consult  together  and  have  a  uniform 
system  of  secular  instruction  which  should  be  kept 
quite  separate  from  the  religious  teaching;  this 
sJiould  be  of  the  same  character  and  have  the  same 
end  as  the  teaching  offered  in  the  public  schools; 
the  mission  schools  should  work  in  harmony  with  the 
public  schools  and  should  recognize  the  Superintend- 
ent of  Education ;  they  should  heartily  co-operate 
with  him  toward  the  production  of  good  citizens  and 
the  development  of  a  feeling  of  respect  and  loyalty 
to  the  national  government.  It  is  true  that  some 
of  them  have  a  standard  which  is  not  reached  by  the 
public  schools;  such  should  not,  of  course,  reduce 
their  standard,  but  should  serve  as  a  friendly  ex- 
ample to  the  Government  of  what  is  reasonably 
expected  of  schools  of  their  grade.  The  proper  treat- 
ment of  this  matter  calls  for  great  tact  and  good 
spirit  on  both  sides. 

We  have  already  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
in  Vai  and  Mandingo  towns  instruction  is  given  to 
boys  in  Arabic  and  in  the  reading  of  the  Koran. 
These  little  village  schools  are  interesting.  The  boys 
use  smooth  boards  with  handles  as  slates;  these  are 
smeared  over  with  a  light  colored  clay,  and  passages 
from  the  sacred  writing  are  copied  in  black  upon 
the  light  surface;  the  little  fellows  are  constantly 
drilled  in  reading  these  passages  aloud  and  in  copy- 
ing similar  passages  upon  their  wooden  tablets.  Such 
schools  as  these  form  a  nucleus  which  could  be 
utilized  in  the  development  of  schools  for  broader 
instruction.  We  have  already  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  Vai  have  a  phonetic  system  of  their 
own,  developed  among  themselves.  The  ability  to 
write  and  read  this  phonetic  script  is  rather  widely 


170  LIBERIA. 

spread,  and  when  schools  come  to  be  established  in 
Vai  towns  this  system  might  be  widely  utilized  for 
purposes  of  education. 

Theoretically,  and  to  some  degree  actually,  Liberia 
College  stands  at  the  summit  of  the  Liberian  system 
of  education.  It  has  had  a  checkered  history  with 
ups  and  downs;  most  observers  have  been  inclined 
to  see  and  emphasize  the  downs.  In  1848  John  Payne, 
of  the  Episcopal  mission,  suggested  to  Simon  Green- 
leaf,  of  Boston,  that  a  school  of  theology  should  be 
established  in  Liberia.  Partly  as  the  result  of  this 
suggestion,  in  1850  there  was  established  in  Massa- 
chusetts a  Board  of  Trustees  of  Donations  for  Educa- 
tion in  Liberia.  In  1851  the  Liberian  legislature 
incorporated  Liberia  College,  the  outgrowth  of  the 
steps  already  taken,  although  not  in  the  exact  direc- 
tion suggested  by  John  Payne.  In  1857  Ex-President 
J.  J.  Roberts  was  elected  first  president  of  Liberia 
College,  and  superintended  the  erection  of  the  build- 
ing which  had  been  provided  for.  During  the  next 
few  years  further  funds  were  raised  for  the  purpose 
of  conducting  the  enterprise,  and  in  1861  the  endow- 
ment was  vested  in  a  Board  of  eighteen  Trustees.  In 
1862  Liberia  College  was  opened  for  work.  Since 
that  time  it  has  had  a  struggling  existence,  making 
periodical  appeals  for  financial  assistance,  receiving 
donations  of  more  or  less  magnitude,  occasionally 
putting  forth  a  spurt  of  momentary  vigor,  then  lan- 
guishing almost  to  the  point  of  death;  again  and 
again  this  round  of  experiences  has  been  run  by  the 
institution.  It  is  difficult  to  secure  definite  and  con- 
nected information  regarding  it;  to  prepare  a  fairly 
complete  history  would  involve  considerable  labor. 
It  is  interesting  to  notice  that,  among  the  expressed 
purposes  of  the  institution,  was  the  providing  of  an 
opportunity  for  American  colored  youth  to  receive 
an  education,  as  they  were  then  debarred  from  edu- 
cational institutions  in  our  country.  There  were  at 
first  three  chairs  in  the  institution : — Jurisprudence 
and  International  Law,  English  Literature  and  Moral 


PROBLEMS.  171 

and  Mental  Philosophy,  and  the  Fulton  Chair  of 
Languages;  in  1905  the  faculty  consisted  of  eight 
members,  including  the  president.  In  1879  there  was 
but  a  single  teacher,  who  was  giving  instruction  in 
mathematics  (to  which  chair  he  was  originally  ap- 
pointed) and  also  in  languages.  The  largest  dona- 
tion at  any  time  received  by  the  College  was  from 
Joseph  Fulton,  of  New  York,  who  left  $25,000,  the 
income  of  which  was  to  support  the  Fulton  professor, 
who  was  to  be  nominated  by  the  New  York  Coloniza- 
tion Society;  the  Board  of  Donations  of  Boston  has 
had  some  $30,000  at  interest  for  the  benefit  of  the 
institution ;  Albert  Fearing  at  one  time  gave  $5000 
for  library  purposes.  In  addition  to  these  gifts  and 
bequests  from  and  in  America  the  institution  has 
received  and  does  receive  some  governmental  aid ; 
1000  acres  of  land  in  each  county  have  been  set  apart 
for  its  advantage ;  certain  sources  of  income  are 
theoretically  devoted  to  its  maintenance.  At  one 
time  four  scholarships  had  been  established  and 
named;  these  scholarships  were,  the  Gordon  Me- 
morial (in  memory  of  Midshipman  Gordon,  who 
died  in  1822),  the  John  Payne  Scholarship,  the 
Simon  Greenleaf  Scholarship,  and  the  George  Briggs 
Scholarship.  To  what  degree  these  scholarships  are 
still  productive  we  do  not  know.  The  institution 
had  run  down  and  was  threatened  with  extinction 
when,  in  1898,  under  the  national  administration  of 
President  W.  E.  Coleman,  it  received  a  new  impulse, 
and  in  the  year  1900  was  re-organized.  It  is  unfor- 
tunate that  the  exact  status  of  Liberia  College  is  not 
more  definite ;  it  is  neither  fish,  flesh  nor  fowl ;  it  is 
at  once  a  private  institution  with  a  directorate  and 
management  located  across  the  seas,  and  a  part  of  a 
system  of  public  education,  receiving  aid  from 
national  funds. 

Such  is  the  condition  of  education  in  the  Republic. 
It  leaves  much  to  be  desired.  Those  who  lead  public 
thought  are  by  no  means  ignorant  of  its  weak  fea- 
tures;   the  national  poverty,  however,  makes  it  diffi- 


172  LIBERIA. 

cult  to  develop  better  things.  If  the  nation  is  to 
advance,  its  education  must  be  greatly  improved. 
This  improvement  must  begin  at  the  very  foundation 
with  the  primary  public  schools.  These  need  reform 
in  the  matter  of  buildings,  equipment,  and  teachers' 
salaries;  if  good  teachers  are  to  be  secured,  and  kept 
steadily  at  work  to  earn  their  salaries,  they  must  be 
promptly  paid — prompt  payment  of  any  employees 
is  a  difficult  matter  in  Liberia.  There  should  be  a 
large  increase  in  the  number  of  public  schools;  there 
are  perhaps  as  many  as  are  necessary  within  the  civil- 
ized settlements,  but  the  native  towns  are  almost 
without  school  opportunities,  except  as  these  are 
offered  by  the  missions.  There  is  crying  need  of  the 
establishment  of  public  schools  in  native  towns.  Such 
should,  however,  be  established  only  in  towns  where 
genuine  promises  of  self-support  are  given.  There 
are,  no  doubt,  many  towns  where,  if  the  matter  were 
properly  presented,  the  chiefs  would  readily  build  a 
school-building,  order  the  children  to  attend  school, 
and  support  a  teacher.  Such  a  teacher  should  be 
well  acquainted  with  the  native  tongue,  and  the  bulk 
of  the  instruction  should  be  given  in  it;  to  teach 
elementary  branches  in  a  foreign  language  is  poor 
policy;  true,  it  has  been  attempted — as  on  a  wide 
scale  in  the  Philippines,  but  mental  and  moral  im- 
becility are  likely  to  be  developed  by  such  procedure ; 
English  should  be  taught,  but  it  should  be  taught  as 
a  subject  in  itself,  and  the  English  language  should 
not  be  used  as  the  medium  for  conveying  elementary 
instruction  in  fundamental  branches;  after  English 
has  once  been  learned,  it  is  of  course  desirable  to 
encourage  the  reading  of  English  books  and  the  ac- 
quisition of  general  knowledge  through  such  reading. 
It  will  probably  be  suggested  that  it  will  be  impos- 
sible to  find  teachers  acquainted  with  the  native 
tongues  and  competent  to  teach  the  various  branches 
of  primary  education;  such  a  difficulty  ought  not  to 
exist  after  nearly  eighty  years  of  mission  schools 
which  have  by  preference  sought  to  teach  and  raise 


PROBLEMS.  173 

the  native  population.  It  will  be  claimed  that  such 
teachers  in  native  towns  will  be  in  danger  of  relapse ; 
there  is  such  danger,  but  it  is  far  less  than  might  be 
thought,  provided  the  Department  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion keeps  in  constant  touch  with  such  teachers  in 
native  towns  and  properly  emphasizes  to  the  native 
chiefs  the  value  of  schools  and  education.  When  we 
were  in  the  Bassa  country,  we  found,  at  a  native  town 
quite  in  the  interior,  an  intelligent  black  man  who 
spoke  English  well  and  who  told  us  that  he  had  been 
sent  out  by  the  Lutheran  mission  at  Muhlenburg  to 
pick  up  and  bring  in  native  boys  for  instruction  at 
that  famous  school ;  he  told  us  at  that  time,  that  the 
chief  of  the  village  where  we  were,  together  with 
the  leading  men,  were  very  anxious  that  a  local  school 
should  be  established  in  their  midst,  and  promised 
land,  a  building,  and  attendance.  It  would  be  easy 
if  the  matter  were  handled  wisely,  to  establish  at 
once,  in  twenty  native  towns,  carefully  selected 
among  the  ditf  erent  tribes,  twenty  local  schools  which 
would  be  supported  with  considerable  enthusiasm  by 
the  communities  in  which  they  were  situated.  If  the 
Government  could  at  once  equip  these  twenty  schools 
with  good  teachers  who  had  graduated  from  the  mis- 
sion schools,  there  would  spring  up  a  popular  demand 
throughout  the  whole  interior  for  the  establishment 
of  village  schools;  it  would  be  difficult  to  satisfy  the 
demand,  but  from  the  number  of  villages  asking  for 
the  establishment  of  schools,  a  reasonable  number 
of  the  best  might  be  selected,  and  the  work  would 
grow.  There  would  actually  be  little  expense  in  such 
development;  if  it  is  to  be  successful,  and  if  it  is 
worth  while,  it  should  originate  largely  with  the 
toAvns  themselves,  and  every  school  should  be  prac- 
tically self-supporting.  For  a  time  of  course  there 
would  be  on  the  part  of  chiefs  a  demand  for  some 
sort  of  bribe  or  *'dash";  this  ought  to  be  refused  in 
every  case. 

To  illustrate  exactly  what  is  meant,  we  quote  a 
sample  of  the  kind  of  document  which  mission  schools 


174  LIBERIA, 

at  one  time  regularly  drew  up  with  the  idea  of  getting 
children  into  school.  It  is  presented  in  Hoyt's  Land 
of  Hope: — "Articles  of  agreement  between  Tweh, 
King  of  Dena,  his  head  men  and  people,  and  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Mission: 

Art.  1.  The  mission  school  is  to  have  at  all  times 
at  least  ten  boys ;  and  more  if  they  should  be  wanted. 
Girls  at  all  times  are  desirable. 

Art.  2.  The  children  of  the  school  are  at  all  times 
to  be  under  the  entire  control  of  Mr.  Philip  Gross 
and  his  successors  in  the  teaching  and  government  of 
this  station,  without  interruption  on  the  part  of  their 
parents  or  guardians  until  the  time  for  which  they 
are  put  in  the  mission  school  shall  have  expired. 

Art.  3.  As  good  substantial  buildings  may  soon 
be  required  for  teachers  to  reside  in,  and  more  land 
will  be  constantly  wanted  for  manual  labor  purposes, 
the  King,  his  head  men  and  people,  also  agree  to  pro- 
tect the  missionaries  in  occupying  and  using  it,  in 
the  manner  they  may  think  proper,  without  respon- 
sibility to  any  one  beyond  themselves.  The  King, 
etc.,  agree  to  protect  them  in  their  persons  and  prop- 
erty from  either  abuse  or  violence,  and  if  anything 
is  stolen  from  them,  the  King,  his  head  men  and 
people,  promise  to  see  it  returned  or  paid  for. 

Art.  4.  As  long  as  the  authorities  of  Dena  con- 
tinue to  fulfill  this  agreement,  by  giving  the  chil- 
dren for  school  instruction,  and  protecting  the 
mission  and  mission-premises  from  intrusion  and  dis- 
turbance, the  mission  will  give  them  annually,  (about 
Christmas)  one  piece  of  blue  baft,  two  small  kegs 
of  powder,  ten  bars  of  tobacco,  ten  bars  of  pipes,  and 
fifty  gun-flints;  with  the  understanding,  that  this 
being  done,  they  are  not  to  be  teased  for  dash  to 
any  one. 

Art.  5.  But  if  the  King  and  his  head  men  fail 
to  fulfill  the  conditions  of  the  above  agreement,  then 


PROBLEMS.  175 

they  will  be  under  no  obligations  as  a  mission  to  give 
the  above  named  articles. 

Francis  Burns,  Preacher  in  Charge. 


Philip  Gross, 
Ney  (his  *  mark), 
John  Banks, 

Witnesses. 


TwEH,  his  *  mark, 
ToBOTO,  his  *  mark, 
TwABO,  his  *  mark, 
TwAAH,  his  *  mark, 
Ero-baw^h,  his  *  mark, 
Nyv^ah-v^ah,  his  *  mark, 


Of  course  this  document  is  many  years  old.  No 
doubt,  however,  the  bad  policy  of  paying  chiefs  for 
permission  to  establish  schools  in  towns  and  for  chil- 
dren who  shall  receive  instruction  is  continued  by  the 
mission  schools.  Certainly,  however,  if  the  govern- 
ment develop  its  own  plans  of  dealing  with  native 
chiefs  for  the  encouragement  of  trade,  it  will  be  easy 
to  do  away  with  this  idea  of  compensation  for  the 
tolerance  of  schools.  Such  native  village  schools  as 
we  have  recommended  should  not  attempt  to  do  more 
than  teach  the  elements  of  education ;  they  should 
correspond  to  the  primary  schools  in  the  system  of 
public  education  for  the  nation;  every  teacher  in 
charge  of  such  schools  should  be  expected  to  encour- 
age boys  and  girls  of  exceptional  promise  and  dili- 
gence, who  do  well  in  the  village  schools,  to  go  up 
to  the  local  "feeder". 

When  we  were  in  Monrovia,  we  were  asked  more 
than  once  whether  it  was  best  to  remove  Liberia  Col- 
lege into  the  interior.  It  is  the  opinion  of  many 
that  such  removal  should  take  place.  The  answer  to 
the  question  depends  entirely  upon  what  is  conceived 
to  be  the  proper  function  of  Liberia  College.  If  it 
is  to  be  an  institution  of  higher  education,  if  it  is  to 
aim  at  academic  instruction  and  the  development  of 
able  men  for  the  filling  of  public  positions,  for  pro- 
fessional life,  for  leadership,  it  would  be  a  great  mis- 
take to  move  it.  To  remove  such  an  institution  into 
the  interior  would  make  it  difficult  for  students  from 
the  settlements  to  attend  the  institution;    if  it  were 


176  LIBERIA. 

intended  to  meet  the  needs  of  natives,  its  removal 
would  sound  the  death  knell  of  its  hopes ;  it  could  be 
located  in  the  area  of  a  single  tribe  only,  and  located 
in  such  an  area,  it  would  receive  the  patronage  of  but 
a  single  tribe.  Recognizing  the  fact  that  the  natives 
are  actually  tribesmen,  if  schools  of  higher  grade 
than  primary  village  schools  are  to  be  developed,  with 
reference  to  them,  there  should  be  at  least  one  school 
of  higher  instruction  in  every  tribal  area;  such 
schools  should  be  of  a  grade  corresponding  to  our 
secondary  or  grammar  schools.  It  is  unlikely  that 
any  one  will,  for  many  years,  think  of  the  establish- 
ment of  such  higher  schools  in  numbers  sufficient  for 
each  tribal  area  to  have  one ;  while,  theoretically  the 
idea  may  be  attractive,  practically  it  is  out  of  ques- 
tion. It  would  be  entirely  possible,  however,  for  four 
good  county  schools  of  grammar  grade  to  be  estab- 
lished— one  in  each  county;  these  should  be  in  the 
country,  not  in  the  settlements.  They  should  be  open 
to  both  natives  and  Liberians,  but  it  is  to  be  supposed 
that  their  attendance  would  be  largely,  overwhelm- 
ingly indeed,  native.  These  county  schools  should  be 
thoroughly  practical — they  should  combine  book- 
work  and  manual-training;  they  should  give  instruc- 
tion in  trades  and  agriculture.  They  should  be  as 
well  equipped  and  as  well  managed  as  the  resources 
of  the  Republic  will  allow.  They  should  be  thorough 
and  earnest,  and  should  not  attempt  to  undertake 
more  than  the  exact  work  here  suggested;  they 
should  be  secondary — grammar — schools,  and  a  part 
of  their  aim  should  be  to  fully  acquaint  every  student 
attending  them  with  the  work  and  opportunities  of 
the  Higher  Agricultural  School,  outside  Monrovia, 
and  Liberia  College  at  the  capital.  The  teachers 
should  not  attempt  to  force  large  numbers  of  their 
students  to  look  for  higher  education,  but  should 
make  them  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  fact  that 
opportunities  may  be  found  in  the  Republic  for  it; 
the  very  few  students  of  real  promise,  who  desire  edu- 
cation of  higher  grade,  the  teachers  should  encourage 


PROBLEMS.  177 

and  direct  toward  the  Higher  Agricultural  School 
and  Liberia  College ;  certainly  the  larger  number  of 
the  boys  should  be  directed  toward  the  former — a 
select  few  of  special  promise  in  the  direction  of  lead- 
ership, toward  the  latter. 

For  the  general  uplift,  there  is  no  question  that  the 
most  important  element  in  this  scheme  of  education 
must  be  the  Higher  Agricultural  School.  It  should 
be  situated  upon  an  experimental  farm;  it  should  be 
supplied  with  sufficient  suitable  buildings;  it  should 
combine  literary  and  manual  instruction.  It  should 
carry  boys  far  enough  to  infuse  them  with  ambition 
and  vigor  for  an  agricultural  career.  It  should  teach 
the  methods  demanded  by  the  peculiar  surroundings. 
Tropical  agriculture  in  any  country  is  still  in  its  be- 
ginnings; scientific  agriculture  in  Liberia  is  as  yet 
non-existent ;  as  rapidly  as  possible,  the  school 
should,  through  investigation  and  experiment,  learn 
what  is  necessary  for  the  locality.  It  will  start  with 
the  benefit  of  blind  experiments  conducted  through  a 
period  of  almost  a  hundred  years ;  it  should,  by 
twenty  years  of  well-directed  effort,  work  out  the 
fundamental  principles  of  successful  agriculture.  In 
such  a  school  boys  should  be  taught  that  hand  labor 
is  respectable  and  necessary;  they  should  be  taught 
equally  how  to  plan,  develop,  and  direct  an  enter- 
prise. Coffee  was  at  one  time  an  important  article 
of  shipment;  Liberian  coffee  had  an  excellent  repu- 
tation throughout  the  world  and  commanded  good 
prices;  there  were  many  creditable  plantations 
which  brought  in  good  returns  to  their  proprietors. 
Why  has  Liberian  coffee  ceased  to  pay?  It  is  true 
that  it  has  had  to  meet  keen  competition  from  coun- 
tries where  labor  was  plenty  and  under  good  con- 
trol ;  it  has  had  to  meet  in  open  market  products 
which  had  been  raised  through  subsidies  paid  by 
nations  far  wealthier;  still,  the  chief  reason  why 
Liberian  coffee  no  longer  has  the  vogue  which  it 
once  had  is  because  it  was  badly  handled,  badly 
packed,  and  badly  shipped.     In  the  higher  agricul- 

12. 


178  LIBERIA. 

tural  school  one  should  be  taught  not  only  how  to 
establish  coffee  plantations,  but  how  to  properly 
treat,  prepare,  and  ship  the  produce.  There  was  a 
time  when  many  fields  were  planted  with  sugar-cane ; 
there  were  many  little  local  mills  where  the  cane  was 
crushed  and  molasses  and  sugar  made ;  to-day  it  may 
be  said  that  there  is  no  cane  industry  in  the  Republic. 
Has  the  demand  for  sugar  ceased?  Has  the  soil  lost 
the  capacity  of  growing  cane?  Is  not  the  decline  in 
this  industry  due  to  time-losing,  crude,  and  imper- 
fect methods  of  production?  Liberia  seems  well 
adapted  to  various  domestic  animals.  Goats  and 
sheep — the  latter  covered  with  hair,  not  wool — are 
seen  on  the  streets  of  the  national  capital;  when  one 
gets  back  into  the  interior,  cattle  are  found  in  native 
towns  and  in  the  district  about  Cape  Palmas  cattle 
are  met  with  in  the  coast  settlements.  Yet  fresh 
meat  is  difficult  to  secure  in  Monrovia;  why?  In  the 
Higher  Agricultural  School  definite  investigation 
should  be  made  of  all  native  plant  and  animal  possi- 
bilities; there  are  no  doubt  many  forms  of  plant  life 
which  could  be  improved  under  proper  cultivation 
and  made  to  yield  desirable  materials  for  commerce 
or  for  national  use ;  it  is  quite  possible  that  some  of 
the  native  animals  could  be  utilized  if  kept  and  bred ; 
it  is  certain  that  harmful  animals  can  be  controlled 
or  totally  destroyed.  The  experimental  station  in 
connection  with  the  agricultural  school  should  deal 
with  all  these  matters.  Of  plants  and  animals  which 
flourish  in  our  own  and  other  countries,  some  prosper 
and  succeed  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa — others  fail; 
many  experiments  have  already  been  made  in  intro- 
ducing plants  and  animals  from  the  outside  world 
into  Liberia ;  much,  however,  still  remains  to  be  done 
in  studying  the  possibilities.  It  is  time  that  the 
experiments  in  this  direction  were  wisely  made  by 
competent  and  educated  investigators  and  that  the 
period  of  blind  and  wasteful  experimentation  cease. 
Liberia  College,  how^ever,  should  remain  at  the 
capital  city.    It  must  be  strengthened  and  developed. 


PROBLEMS,  179 

It  should  be  a  college,  and  if  at  present  below  grade — 
and  it  is  below  grade — it  should  be  gradually  worked 
up  to  a  high  standard.  The  nation  will  always  need 
a  higher  institution  of  liberal  culture;  there  is  as 
much  reason  why  there  should  be  a  genuine  college 
in  the  black  Republic,  as  there  was  why  there  should 
be  a  Harvard  College  in  Massachusetts  at  the  date 
of  its  foundation ;  in  fact,  there  is  more  need  of  a 
college  for  Liberia  than  there  was  in  IVIassachusetts 
for  Harvard — Liberia  has  more  serious  and  broader 
problems  to  deal  with  than  the  old  colony  of  IMassa- 
chusetts ;  she  is  an  independent  nation ;  she  must 
have  men  competent  by  training  to  control  the  "ship 
of  state"  and  to  deal  with  the  representatives  of  all 
the  civilized  nations  on  the  globe. 

One  can  easily  understand,  and  to  a  degree  sym- 
pathize with,  the  statement  of  Thomas  in  his  little 
book  upon  West  Africa,  published  a  half  century 
ago.  He  w^rote  shortly  after  the  college  w^as  estab- 
lished. He  says:  "I  regret  to  say  that  a  college 
has  been  lately  established  in  Liberia,  the  presidency 
of  which  has  been  conferred  on  President  Roberts. 
I  regret  it,  because  it  will  involve  an  outlay  that 
might  be  better  used  for  common  schools.  It  will 
send  out,  for  years  at  least,  men  imperfectly  learned, 
with  the  idea  that  they  are  scholars,  and  create  a 
false  standard  of  education.  The  present  state  of 
society  has  no  demand  for  such  a  thing,  the  high 
schools  already  in  operation  being  sufficient  to  supply 
teachers  and  professional  men.  and  these  are  suffi- 
ciently patronized.  A  couple  of  manual  labor  schools 
somewhere  in  the  interior  would  be  vastly  more  use- 
ful. These  things — academies  dubbed  colleges — are 
getting  to  be  an  evil  among  us  in  the  states,  and  we 
are  sorry  to  see  our  ebonv  off-shoot  copying  any  of 
our  defects."  We  are  all  familiar  with  such  criti- 
cisms and  this  line  of  argument,  and  of  course  they 
contain  a  germ  of  truth.  But  every  young  and  de- 
veloping community  must  have  higher  education,  and 
we  have  indicated  why  the  necessity  in  Liberia   is 


180  LIBERIA. 

urgent.  From  her  population  must  come  presidents, 
congressmen,  cabinet  officers  of  ability,  diplomatic 
and  political  officials,  and  nothing  below  a  college 
can  produce  the  desirable  supply. 

In  contrast  to  the  statement  of  Mr.  Thomas,  we 
may  quote  two  passages  from  Dr.  Blyden — himself  a 
negro,  a  Liberian,  an  official  in  Liberia  College.  At 
the  dedication  of  the  Institution,  he  said:  "Why, 
then,  should  not  Liberia,  after  forty  years'  existence, 
having  secured  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the 
aboriginal  tribes,  enjoy  the  means  of  superior  educa- 
tion? The  name  College  applied  to  this  institution 
may  seem  ambitious;  but  it  is  not  too  early  in  our 
history  to  aim  at  such  institutions.  Of  course  we 
cannot  expect  that  it  will  at  once  fulfill  all  the  condi- 
tions of  colleges  in  advanced  countries,  but  it  may 
come  in  time,  as  many  American  colleges  have  done, 
to  grow  into  an  institution  of  respectability  and 
extensive  usefulness."  Again,  in  the  same  address, 
he  says:  "Every  country  has  its  peculiar  and  par- 
ticular characteristics.  So  has  Liberia.  From  this 
fact,  it  has  often  been  argued,  that  we  need  a  peculiar 
kind  of  education;  not  so  much  colleges  and  high 
schools  as  other  means  which  are  more  immediately 
and  obviously  connected  with  our  progress.  But  to 
this  we  reply,  'If  we  are  a  part  of  the  human  family, 
we  have  the  same  intellectual  needs  that  other  people 
have,  and  they  must  be  supplied  by  the  same  means.' 
It  shows  a  painful  ignorance  of  history,  to  consider 
the  present  state  of  things  in  Liberia  as  new  and 
unprecedented  in  such  a  sense  as  to  render  dis- 
pensable those  more  important  and  fundamental 
means  of  improvement,  which  other  countries  have 
enjoyed.  Mind  is  everywhere  the  same;  and  every- 
where it  receives  character  and  formation  from  the 
same  elemental  principles.  If  it  has  been  properly 
formed  and  has  received  a  substantial  character,  it 
will  work  out  its  own  calling,  solve  its  own  problems, 
achieve  its  own  destiny." 

In  other  words,  it  is  the  old  question  between  Tus- 


PROBLEMS.  181 

kegee  and  Atlanta.  In  any  broad  and  wise  view  both 
are  equally  essential. 

Liberia  College  and  the  Higher  Agricultural  School 
will  do  more  to  develop  a  national  spirit  among  the 
natives  of  the  interior  than  any  other  single  agency. 
From  the  native  village  schools  boys  will  go  out  to  the 
county  ' '  feeder ' ' ;  there  their  ambition  is  stimulated ; 
they  come  into  contact  with  boys  of  other  tribes; 
acquaintance  and  a  generous  and  proper  rivalry  devel- 
ops between  them;  each  boy  will  feel  that  the  credit 
and  reputation  of  his  people  rests  in  him — he  will 
feel  that  he  is  not  inferior — he  will  strive  to  hold  his 
own  in  legitimate  fields  of  rivalry;  from  the  county 
"feeder"  the  brightest,  most  aml3itious,  and  best  of 
the  scholars  will  go  up  to  the  College  or  Agricultural 
School,  both  of  which  are  national.  There,  in  contact 
with  the  selected  and  best  from  every  part  of  the 
Republic,  from  Liberians  and  natives  alike,  the  native 
boys  will  come  to  know  the  national  spirit;  they  will 
learn  what  Liberia  means,  they  will  comprehend  its 
plans  and  hopes;  they  will  be  prepared  to  assist  in 
its  development  and  to  protect  its  rights. 

We  have  said  that  Liberia  College  would  be 
national;  it  can  not  and  ought  not  to  be  hampered 
by  denominational  or  even  by  religious  demands;  it 
would  be  better  if  the  College  were  absolutely  under 
the  control  of  the  national  government ;  the  double 
control  works  badly.  It  is  not  absolutely  essential 
that  such  should  be  the  case ;  if  the  American  Board, 
or  Boards,  interested  in  it  would  wake  up  to  the  idea 
of  the  great  opportunity  within  their  hands,  they 
would  be  willing  to  co-operate  heartily  with  the  local 
authorities  to  develop  a  really  great  institution.  The 
difficulty  of  distance  of  course  would  ever  interfere 
with  prompt  and  harmonious  action;  ignorance  of 
local  conditions  and  of  the  inherent  difficulties  is 
another  bar  to  effective  and  prompt  co-operation. 
If  the  double  control  of  the  Institution  is  to  continue, 
there  should  be  a  carefully  worked  out  agreement 
between  the  two  governing  bodies  which  should  leave 


182  LIBERIA, 

very  considerable  power  with  the  resident  authority 
to  deal  with  serious  problems  as  they  may  arise.  If 
the  double  control  must  continue,  it  is  cryingly  neces- 
sary that  more  vigorous  and  liberal  assistance  should 
be  rendered.  To  put  the  College  into  proper  condi- 
tion, and  develop  its  field  of  action,  needs  money,  in 
considerable  quantity,  much  more  than  the  govern- 
ment would  be  warranted  in  supplying  for  some  time 
to  come.  There  are  various  things  in  connection  with 
the  conduct  of  the  College  which  are  bad  and  need 
re-adjustment.  Thus,  there  is  a  vicious  system  of 
student  assistance,  which  undoubtedly  works  more 
harm  than  benefit;  attendance  at  the  College  is 
stimulated  by  cash  payments  to  students,  for  which 
apparently  no  return  service  is  rendered ;  any  such 
mode  of  assistance  should  be  completely  stopped.  It 
is  better  that  the  College  should  have  a  half  dozen 
students  who  are  attending  because  they  wish  to  gain 
an  education,  than  that  its  halls  should  be  filled  with 
idlers  who  come  simply  because  they  receive  pay 
during  their  attendance.  For  every  penny  given  to 
any  student,  actual  service,  preferably  hand-labor, 
should  be  demanded.  This  is  particularly  important 
when  we  remember  the  general  attitude  towards  the 
whole  subject  of  working  with  the  hands. 

The  presidency  of  the  College  has  always  been,  and 
still  is,  a  problem.  The  president  should  not  be  an 
autocrat,  beyond  control  and  irresponsible,  and  he 
should  be  absolutely  fitted  for  his  high  post.  On 
account  of  the  uncertain  status  of  the  institution,  it 
is  possible  for  its  president  to  do  what  he  pleases 
without  check  or  hindrance.  When  it  suits  his  own 
convenience,  he  takes  refuge  behind  the  fact  that  it 
is  a  chartered  institution,  responsible  to  a  foreign 
board  of  managers  to  whom  alone  he  owes  allegiance ; 
he  may  thus  refuse  to  recognize  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  and  to  conduct  the  financial  affairs 
of  the  Institution  as  if  he  were  without  responsibility 
to  the  government  from  which,  however,  the  school 
receives  financial  aid.     Again,  this  high  position  has 


PROBLEMS.  183 

seemed,  sometimes  in  the  past,  to  be  merely  a  political 
football.  When  a  man  has  served  a  term  of  office, 
when  he  has  been  defeated  in  an  election,  when  for  a 
moment  he  is  without  a  job,  he  may  become  the  presi- 
dent of  Liberia  College.  This  is  all  wrong.  That 
presidency  should  be  a  position  demanding  a  man's 
full  time,  and  filling  his  whole  horizon;  it  should  be 
a  position  to  which  he  willingly  devotes  a  lifetime, 
and  through  which  he  may  justly  hope  to  gain  a  last- 
ing reputation.  It  is  true  that  great  names  in 
Liberia's  history  have  been  associated  with  it;  Rob- 
erts, Gibson,  Blyden,  Barclay,  Dossen,  and  others 
have  occupied  it  with  credit  to  themselves,  and  no 
doubt  with  advantage  to  the  school;  but  the  position 
should  be  a  position  for  men  without  other  ambitions, 
men  not  in  politics.  Perhaps  it  is  necessary  at  this 
stage  to  import  a  head  for  the  institution?  If  so,  it 
is  not  for  lack  of  competent  Liberians  already  in  the 
Republic — but  because  there  is  no  competent  man 
there  but  what  has  other  ambitions. 

Here  we  believe  is  an  actual  opportunity  for  wise 
American  philanthropy  to  exercise  itself.  Vast  gifts 
of  money  could  be  properly  employed  in  these  two 
institutions  of  higher  learning — the  Higher  Agricul- 
tural School  and  Liberia  College.  The  one  will  have 
to  be  founded  and  developed  from  foundation  up ; 
the  other  needs  development,  re-organization,  and 
continuous  and  wisely  exercised  interest  and  sym- 
pathy. Suitable  but  flexible  restrictions  should  justly 
be  imposed  in  connection  with  any  gift,  but  the  future 
ought  not  to  be  bound  too  tightly.  The  absolutely 
different  character  of  the  two  institutions  should  be 
recognized  and  emphasized.  If  both  were  energized 
with  gifts  from  our  country,  it  would  be  just  that 
both  should  be  headed  by  American  presidents.  If 
so,  Tuskegee  might  supply  the  president  for  the 
Higher  Agricultural  School,  Atlanta  that  for  Liberia 
College.  In  any  event,  only  the  best  men  that  the 
institutions  could  furnish  should  be  sent;  they  should 
be  men  of  ideals,  ideas,  and  devotion ;  they  should  be 


184  LIBERIA. 

teachable  men,  who  would  recognize  that  much  of 
good  already  exists  in  the  Republic,  and  who  would 
aim  to  utilize  everything  helpful  and  hopeful  which 
is  already  there;  they  should  be  men  who  will  co- 
operate, rather  than  men  who  will  eradicate;  they 
must  be  wise  men;  theirs  will  be  no  easy  task;  and 
they  should  realize  that  it  is  frequently  best  to  "make 
haste  slowly" — if  only  progress  is  made  surely. 


"I  am  an  African,  and  in  this  country,  however  unexcep- 
tional my  conduct,  and  respectable  my  character,  I  can  not 
receive  the  credit  due  to  either.  I  wish  to  go  to  a  country 
where  I  should  be  estimated  by  my  merit,  not  by  my  complexion, 
and  I  feel  bound  to  labor  for  my  suffering  race. ' ' — Lott  Carey. 

"There  never  has  been  an  hour  or  a  minute;  no,  not  even 
when  the  balls  were  flying  around  my  head  at  Crown  Hill, 
when  I  could  wish  myself  in  America." — Lott  Caret. 

IMMIGRATION. 

The  original  settlers  in  Liberia  were  for  the  most 
part  aided  in  their  immigration  by  the  American 
Colonization  Society.  The  whole  business  of  ship- 
ment, transportation,  and  reception  soon  became  quite 
thoroughly  systematized.  Those  who  had  funds  of 
their  own  made  use  of  these  in  getting  to  the  "Land 
of  Promise"  and  settling;  but  many  were  quite  with- 
out resources.  Such  were  sent  out  passage  free 
by  the  Society ;  on  arriving  at  Liberia,  they  were 
transferred  to  "receptacles" — houses  especially  con- 
structed for  the  purpose, — where,  for  six  months, 
they  were  provided  with  board  and  medical  attend- 
ance. During  these  six  months  the  immigrants 
usually  passed  through  the  acclimating  fever,  and 
were  sufficiently  restored  to  begin  the  serious  task  of 
establishing  themselves  in  their  new  homes.  To  each 
adult  person  a  piece  of  land  was  given,  either  in  the 
town  or  country ;  the  Society  had  already  supplied  an 
outfit  for  farming  and  housekeeping  purposes.  With 
land  assigned  and  outfit  ready,  the  newcomer  pro- 
ceeded to  adjust  himself  as  well  as  posible  to  his  new 
surroundings.  In  the  very  nature  of  things,  many  of 
the  early  settlers  were  undesirables;  it  is  true  that 
much  was  made  of  the  care  with  which  they  were 
selected  before  they  were  shipped  to  Africa;  such 
claims,    however,    deserve    little    more    belief    than 

185 


186  LIBERIA. 

might  have  been  expected  under  the  circumstances. 
It  was  not  strange  that  many  weak,  undesirable,  even 
vicious,  individuals  were  sent;  the  remarkable  fact  is 
that  the  mass  was  as  good  as  it  actually  was.  While 
much  allowance  must  be  made  for  partisanship,  and 
the  desire  to  make  a  good  showing,  there  is  remark- 
able uniformity  in  the  reports  concerning  the  decency, 
neatness,  and  progressive  character  of  the  settlers. 
Among  the  newcomers  there  were  indeed  a  number 
of  exceptional  men,  men  who,  in  any  time  or  place, 
would  be  recognized  as  superior ;  they  were  men  of 
ability  who,  in  the  old  home,  had  felt  themselves 
subject  to  the  most  unjust  discrimination ;  they  had 
chafed  under  the  disadvantages  and  inequality  of 
their  situations;  they  felt  that  in  Liberia  there  was 
indeed  a  chance  for  black  men.  Such  were  Lott 
Carey,  Elijah  Johnson,  Hilary  Teague,  Amos  Her- 
ring, and  others.  The  new  colony  owed  much  to  the 
presence  of  a  few  such  men.  It  has  always  been  so, 
it  will  always  be  so ;  there  is  no  community  where  the 
number  of  leaders  is  large;  there  is  no  community 
where  the  rank  and  file  are  honest,  respectable, 
ambitious,  and  progressive.  It  is  unreasonable  to 
expect  in  Liberia  what  we  could  not  find  in  any 
civilized  land  of  white  men.  An  interesting  fact 
regarding  Liberia  is  that  the  supply  of  leaders  has 
never. failed.  The  "fathers"  died;  the  sons  have  fol- 
lowed ;  the  first  settlers  have  gone  to  their  reward ; 
new  settlers  with  the  qualifications  of  leadership 
have  always  come.  When  the  colony  gave  place  to 
the  Republic,  it  had  leaders  like  Roberts,  Hilary 
Johnson,  and  Stephen  A.  Benson.  To-day  there  are, 
all  things  considered,  a  remarkable  number  of  men  of 
ability ;  the  little  land  with  Arthur  Barclay,  Daniel 
E.  Howard,  J.  J.  Dossen,  F.  E.  R.  Johnson,  T. 
McCants  Stewart,  Bishop  Ferguson, — and  plenty 
more — is  not  badly  equipped  for  grappling  with 
national  problems. 

In   the   early   days   every  one  had  to   suffer  the 
acclimating  fever;  many  died.     Such,  however,  has 


PROBLEMS.  187 

been  the  experience  in  the  settlement  of  all  new 
countries,  even  outside  the  tropics.  Our  own  pilgrim 
fathers  lost  severely  in  taking  possession  of  New 
England;  mastery  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  was 
achieved  only  at  a  frightful  loss  in  life;  to  the  out- 
sider, who  only  reads  the  death  list,  Liberian  settle- 
ment seems  horrible;  but,  to  the  one  who  knows  the 
price  eternally  paid  for  colonization,  it  appears  less 
bad.  After  passing  through  the  fever,  and  settling 
down  to  work,  the  question  of  success  was  one  for  each 
man  to  settle  for  himself.  The  two  opportunities 
were  trade  and  agriculture.  We  have  seen  repeatedly 
that,  on  the  whole,  trade  had  the  greater  attractive- 
ness. Still,  numbers  went  to  farming  and  the  devel- 
opment of  plantations.  Opportunity  was  really  large 
and  success  was  not  infrequent.  The  number  of  early 
settlers  who  promptly  secured  comfort,  and  even 
modest  wealth,  was  great. 

If  there  is  to  be  immigration  on  any  considerable 
scale,  there  must  be  easy  communication  between  the 
United  States  and  Liberia.  The  original  settlers  were 
sent  when  opportunity  offered;  sometimes  in  private 
sailing  vessels,  sometimes  in  government  ships.  There 
has  been  very  little  direct  sailing  between  the  two 
countries  since  our  Civil  War.  For  a  long  time  it 
was  necessary  for  passengers  who  desired  to  go  from 
the  United  States  to  Liberia,  to  go  first  to  Liverpool, 
Hamburg,  Rotterdam,  or  Antwerp,  and  from  there 
to  take  a  steamer  for  the  West  Coast;  such  an 
arrangement  of  course  involved  considerable  expense 
and  much  loss  of  time.  There  have  been  efforts  at 
various  times  to  establish  direct  lines  of  communica- 
tion. Thus,  in  1838,  Judge  Wilkinson  submitted  a 
project.  He  recommended  that  a  vessel  should  be 
purchased  and  sold  to  such  free  persons  of  color  as 
would  agree  to  man  her  with  colored  seamen,  and 
navigate  her  as  a  regular  packet  between  Liberia  and 
the  United  States.  Regular  passenger  rates  would  be 
paid  to  the  conductors  of  this  enterprise  for  the  con- 
veyance of  emigrants  sent  out  by  the  Society.     The 


188  LIBERIA. 

plan  was  approved  and  the  money  promptly  raised; 
$3000  was  subscribed  by  the  New  York  Colonization 
Society,  $1000  by  the  New  Jersey  Colonization  Soci- 
ety, and  $400  by  individuals.  Judge  Wilkinson,  at 
once,  on  his  own  responsibility,  purchased  the  Saluda 
for  $6000 ;  she  was  a  vessel  of  384  tons ;  a  fast  sailer ; 
in  good  order;  she  had  passenger  accommodations 
for  150  persons. 

A  few  years  later,  in  1846,  a  joint-stock  trading 
company  was  established  by  the  Maryland  Coloniza- 
tion Society  under  the  name  of  the  Chesapeake  and 
Liberian  Trading  Co.  It  was  to  maintain  a  line  of 
packets  for  taking  out  emigrants  and  bringing  in 
produce;  it  was  expected  that  the  colonists  would 
invest  in  the  shares;  $20,000  was  considered  neces- 
sary for  the  enterprise,  and  there  was  considerable 
difficulty  in  raising  it,  only  $16,000  having  been  sub- 
scribed when  the  first  vessel  was  completed  and  ready 
for  sailing.  The  first  voyage  took  place  in  the  month 
of  December.  The  Liberian  Packet,  as  it  was  called, 
made  many  voyages.  It  was  found  necessary  to 
increase  the  size  of  the  vessel  employed,  but  the  whole 
enterprise  received  a  severe  check  with  the  wreck 
of  the  Ralph  Cross.  It  was  in  several  respects  a  real 
success,  but  there  was  considerable  disappointment 
felt  because  of  the  little  interest  taken  in  this  line  by 
the  colonists  themselves;  it  was  hoped  that  the  bulk 
of  the  stock  would  be  taken  by  them — as  a  matter  of 
fact,  only  about  one-eighth  was  so  purchased.  Com- 
modore Foote,  in  his  interesting  book,  Africa  and  the 
American  Flag,  emphasizes  the  fact  that  the  one  great 
advantage  resulting  from  this  line  was  the  ease  with 
which  Liberian  settlers  revisited  the  United  States  for 
short  periods,  thus  forming  and  keeping  up  connec- 
tions with  their  mother  country. 

When  Thomas  was  along  the  West  Coast  in  1857, 
direct  communication  appears  to  have  ceased.  He 
says:  "The  day  is  not  distant  when  steam  communi- 
cation will  be  established  between  the  United  States 
and  Liberia,  and  her  exhaustless  fields  be  brought 


PROBLEMS,  189 

within  fourteen  days  of  our  shores.  Already  the 
interests  of  American  commerce  demand  the  estab- 
lishment of  such  a  line,  and  the  general  government 
should  extend  its  aid  in  such  an  enterprise,  before 
England  and  France  take  the  field  from  us.  Already 
the  steam-liners  between  England  and  Fernando  Po 
touch  at  Monrovia,  and  it  is  said  that  arrangements 
are  being  made  with  the  company  to  have  them  stop 
at  Cape  Palmas  also.  Of  the  125,000  gallons  of  palm 
oil  annually  exported  from  this  place,  American  pro- 
ducers get  50,000.  The  other  exports  are  pepper  and 
camwood.  The  revenue  of  Maryland,  the  year  pre- 
vious to  its  annexation  to  Liberia,  was  about  $2000, 
derived  from  a  light  duty  on  certain  classes  of 
imports."  In  1850  an  effort  was  made  in  the  Ameri- 
can Congress  to  establish  and  develop  a  trading  line 
between  the  two  countries.  Since  that  time  there 
have  been  occasional  suggestions  looking  in  this  direc- 
tion; thus,  in  1904  a  company  was  established  under 
the  name  of  the  Neiv  York  and  Liberian  SteamsJdp 
Co.  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000;  at  about  the  same 
time,  there  was  organized  the  American  and  West 
African  Steamship  Co.  with  head-quarters  at  New 
York,  a  capital  of  $600,000,  and  the  apparent  endorse- 
ment of  many  of  the  most  prominent  colored  men 
of  the  United  States.  Many  such  schemes  have  been 
broached,  some  with  brilliant  promise;  for  one  rea- 
son or  another,  however,  they  have  failed.  There  is 
no  question  that  such  a  company  under  conservative 
management  might  make  a  success;  the  difficulty  so 
far  with  most  of  them  has  been  that  they  have  started 
with  too  high  hopes  of  large,  immediate  returns  and 
with  insufficient  capital.  In  the  long  run,  good 
returns  might  be  expected ;  but  there  should  be  antici- 
pated a  considerable  period  during  which  there  would 
be  little,  if  any,  income.  Very  recently  an  experi- 
mental arrangement  has  been  made  by  the  two  great 
steamship-lines  of  West  Africa  to  connect  New  York 
with  Monrovia.  At  present  a  vessel  sails  once  every 
two  months  from  New  York  for  the  west  coast  of 


190  LIBERIA, 

Africa.  The  first  stop  is  at  Las  Palmas,  Canary 
Islands ;  the  second,  Monrovia ;  tlie  time  from  New 
York  to  Monrovia  is  nineteen  days;  the  vessel  then 
proceeds  south  along  the  western  coast  of  Africa, 
returning  to  Monrovia  at  the  end  of  about  nine 
weeks;  on  the  return  the  only  point  of  call  is  St. 
Vincent  in  the  Cape  Verde  Islands.  The  return  voy- 
age occupies  eighteen  or  nineteen  days.  The  vessels 
making  these  runs  are  alternately  German  and  Eng- 
lish, of  the  Woermann  and  the  Elder  Dempster  Lines. 

This  arrangement  is  the  best  that  has  been  offered 
for  many  years.  It  is  relatively  easy  by  means  of  it 
for  Americans  to  visit  Liberia,  and  for  Liberians 
to  see  our  country.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
arrangement  will  be  continued — or  even  improved; 
if  there  is  anything  in  this  trade  at  all,  it  should  not 
be  long  before  sailings  will  take  place  monthly 
instead  of  one  in  two  months. 

Does  Liberia  wish  immigration  from  America? 
Liberians  say  so,  but  they  usually  qualify  the  state- 
ment by  saying  that  it  should  be  "of  the  right  kind". 
They  assert  that  they  will  welcome  thousands.  Presi- 
dential messages,  congressional  action,  local  resolu- 
tions, all  express  one  sentiment ;  they  want  Ameri- 
cans, they  will  welcome  them,  they  will  give  them 
every  opportunity.  This  is  no  doubt  true  theoretic- 
ally and  in  the  abstract.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  how- 
ever, they  do  not  really  want  American  settlers. 
There  are  many  reasons  for  this  attitude,  and  all  are 
natural.  The  new-comer  from  America  is  apt  to  be 
supercilious  and  condescending;  he  is  critical  and 
makes  odious  comparisons ;  he  knows  little  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  country,  has  no  sympathy  with  its 
achievements,  sees  only  its  crudities  and  errors.  He 
is  full  of  grand  schemes  for  his  own  advancement; 
he  is  in  Liberia  for  exploitation ;  a  man  of  some  little 
prominence  in  his  home  community  with  us,  he 
expects  to  be  a  leader  in  the  new  surroundings;  he 
wishes  to  be  a  new  broom,  sweeping  clean.  He  would 
brush  away  all  that  already  exists,  and  construct  a 


PROBLEMS.  191 

totally  new  edifice ;  but  when  one  brushes  away  what 
already  exists,  the  task  before  him  is  worse  than  that 
of  "making  bricks  without  straw".  It  is  no  wonder 
that  the  new-comer  is  promptly  looked  upon  with 
dislike. 

Again,  there  are  not  many  paying  "jobs";  those 
that  exist  are  already  occupied  by  native  sons  and 
old  settlers;  the  coming  of  a  considerable  number  of 
new  immigrants  will  not  increase  the  number  of  these 
"jobs"  in  proportion  to  the  influx  of  population. 
The  new-comers  will  crowd  those  who  are  already 
located ;  lack  of  opportunity,  scantness  of  educational 
facilities,  inability  to  secure  a  proper  preparation — 
all  things  which  are  in  the  nature  of  Liberian  con- 
ditions and  for  which  the  individual  can  not  be  held 
responsible, — give  to  those  already  in  possession  a 
sense  of  inferiority  and  unpreparedness  which  makes 
them  fear  the  coming  of  the  outsider  who  has  had  a 
wider  training.  Whatever  they  may  say  to  the  con- 
trary, however  much  they  may  express  the  desire  that 
highly  trained  and  competent  Americans  should  come 
to  the  aid  of  the  Republic,  the  whole  official  and  gov- 
erning body  will  look  with  natural  suspicion  and 
jealousy  upon  intruders. 

It  is  commonplace  to  be  told  by  Liberians  that  there 
is  plenty  of  work  in  the  Republic  for  carpenters, 
masons,  blacksmiths,  and  wheelwrights.  This  is  said 
so  readily  that  it  sounds  like  a  recitation  learned  for 
repetition.  That  there  may  be  room  for  carpenters 
and  masons  is  probable;  but  the  need  of  blacksmiths 
in  a  country  where  there  are  no  real  vehicles  or  horses 
is  less  evident ;  and  exactly  what  a  wheelwright  would 
do  to  fill  his  time  is  questionable.  There  are  at 
present  in  Liberia  almost  no  manufactories;  it  will 
surely  be  some  time  before  there  is  need  of  such. 
There  are  in  Liberia  no  opportunities  for  day  labor 
for  American  negroes;  the  "bush  nigger"  is  there 
and  will  Avork  for  wages  which  no  American  colored 
man  could  think  of  receiving  if  he  were  able  to  work 
at  such  labor  in  that  country.    It  has  been  suggested 


192  LIBERIA, 

to  me  that  thousands  of  American  negroes  might  be 
employed  in  road-building;  there  is  indeed  much 
need  for  roads ;  but  the  work  of  road-building  is  likely 
to  continue  to  fall  to  the  native.  Newcomers  are 
almost  certain  to  go  into  professional  life,  politics, 
trade,  or  agriculture.  Professional  life  and  politics 
are  already  fairly  full — trade  and  agriculture  remain 
as  legitimate  opportunities  for  the  newcomer.  The 
American  negro  who  comes  to  Liberia  for  trade  must 
have  capital,  and  he  must  realize  that  he  enters  into 
competition  with  old  established  white  trading  houses 
as  well  as  with  experienced  Liberians  who  know  the 
country  and  its  needs.  If  the  newcomer  goes  into 
agriculture,  he  must  expect  to  make  some  outlay  in 
securing  land,  constructing  buildings,  buying  out- 
fits; curiously  enough,  even  in  this  field,  where  it 
might  be  supposed  that  he  would  meet  with  little,  if 
any,  opposition,  he  is  quite  sure  to  encounter  hostility 
from  neighbors.  Into  whatever  field  of  legitimate 
enterprise  the  American  immigrant  may  plan  to 
enter,  he  should  not  come  to  Africa  unless  he  is 
healthy  of  body,  young,  of  active  mind,  fairly  edu- 
cated, and  with  money  for  tiding  over  a  period  of 
non-productiveness  and  opposition  more  or  less  frank 
and  open. 

Yet  many  succeed.  Conspicuous  examples  are  not 
wanting.  Three  recent  cases  may  be  considered 
typical.  There  is  J.  H.  Green,  who  came  to  Liberia 
from  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  in  1902;  a  lawyer  by 
trade,  he  had  been  interested  while  still  in  the  United 
States  in  the  promotion  of  Liberian  immigration;  he 
carried  with  him  into  the  new  region  his  paper,  TJie 
African  League,  which  is  a  monthly  periodical 
largely  devoted  to  the  encouragement  of  Liberian 
immigration.  At  first  in  Monrovia,  since  then  at 
Buchanan,  he  has  continued  to  print  his  paper  which 
has  the  longest  continued  existence  of  any  genuine 
newspaper  that  has  been  printed  in  Liberia  for  many 
years;  he  has  encountered  constant  opposition;  he  is 
a  fighter  from  way  back  and  has  the  courage  of  his 


PROBLEMS.  193 

convictions.  He  has  made  good.  He  practices  law, 
has  been  a  local  judge,  conducts  a  successful,  influ- 
ential, and  outspoken  paper,  has  his  printing-house, 
and  conducts  a  shop  for  trade.  Judge  T.  McCants 
Stewart  is  justly  respected  as  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  Republic.  He  first  went  to  Liberia  thirty 
years  ago,  in  connection  with  Liberia  College;  he 
stayed  but  a  short  time,  returning  to  the  United 
States;  while  in  this  country,  he  published  an  inter- 
esting and  useful  little  book  upon  Liberia ;  later  he 
went  to  Honolulu,  Hawaii ;  returning  to  America 
from  our  newest  territory,  he  closed  out  his  affairs 
in  this  land  and  went  again  to  Liberia ;  as  a  new- 
comer, he  necessarily  had  prejudice  and  opposition  to 
encounter ;  he  has  rooted  there,  however,  and, 
respected  and  influential,  is  now  one  of  the  associate 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  men  in  Liberia  to-day  is  Jeff  Faulkner; 
he  is  active,  enterprising,  pushing,  indefatigable ;  he 
is  the  only  handy,  all-around  mechanician  in  Mon- 
rovia ;  he  is  absolutely  one  of  the  most  useful  men  in 
the  Republic;  he  is  depended  upon  by  the  govern- 
ment in  many  a  time  of  need;  when  "the  Lark" 
goes  to  the  bottom,  Jeff  Faulkner  is  the  only  man  to 
raise  her ;  he  has  a  keen  eye  for  business,  and  devel- 
ops every  opportunity;  he  has  recently  established 
an  ice-factory,  and  his  ice-cream  parlor — a  novelty 
in  Liberia's  capital— is  popular.  This  very  useful 
man,  though  well  appreciated,  has  literally  had  to 
fight  his  way  to  success.  These  men  are  well  estab- 
lished, but  they  have  succeeded  only  because  they 
were  men  of  ideas,  conviction,  purpose,  determina- 
tion. Weak  men  in  their  positions  would  have  failed. 
Liberia  is  no  place  for  weaklings ;  there  is  no  demand 
for  immigrants  who  leave  America  because  they  have 
been  failures  there. 

For  years  Green  has  been  agitating  for  "the  negro 
city".  In  the  African  League,  in  1903,  he  carried  a 
page  announcement  regarding  it.  From  it  we  quote 
some    extracts:     "The    negro    city   to   be    built   in 

13. 


194  LIBERIA. 

Liberia,  Africa,  by  1000  American  negroes. 
Liberia  City  will  be  the  name.  Foundation  to  be 
laid  upon  the  arrival  of  the  great  colony  early  in 
1904.  Let  all  be  ready  and  fully  prepared  for  the 
great  corner-stone  laying  of  a  great  negro  town  in  a 
HIGH  and  healthy  PLACE.  Stones  wanted  for  the 
foundation.  What  kind  of  stones?  Stones  in  the 
form  of  men!  Self-sacrificing,  vigorous,  fearless, 
strong-hearted,  self-supporting,  brainy,  brawny, 
God-fearing  men?  Men  fitted  for  the  sub-stratum  of 
the  great  town  in  the  great  country  where  lynching  is 
not  known,  and  freedom  reigns  supreme!  Where 
your  son  may  be  a  beggar  or  a  ruler — at  his  own 
election.  Come  and  make  him  a  ruler.  ...  A 
city  built  in  a  day.  The  foundation  of  this  new 
settlement  with  the  town  as  the  centre,  will  be  laid 
upon  the  arrival  of  the  colonists  from  America  upon 
the  ground.  ...  A  high  and  beautiful  location, 
too  high  for  the  coast  fever  that  is  so  much  dreaded 
by  the  one  who  has  heard  about  it — a  location  for 
work  in  a  country  where  gold  and  other  precious 
metals  abound.  .  .  .  This  place  is  especially  in- 
viting to  the  mining  negro.  The  artisans  are  needed, 
too,  along  with  the  farmers  and  other  workmen,  for 
all  these  are  needed  in  building  up  a  great  republic ; 
only  let  them  bring  some  capital.  This  is  a  great 
place  for  merchants.  .  .  .  Let  all  who  want  to 
join  this  colony  and  want  a  town  lot  and  a  farm  in 
the  section,  free  of  charge,  write."  So  far  the  great 
negro  settlement  does  not  actually  exist.  The  idea 
has  been  often  ridiculed;  but  it  deserves  considera- 
tion. At  the  time  in  question,  Mr.  Green  made  an 
extended  .iourne.y  in  which  he  claimed  to  be  looking 
for  the  best  site  for  his  settlement.  Such  a  city,  with 
anywhere  from  three  hundred  to  one  thousand 
inhabitants,  would  promise  a  more  speedy  and 
durable  success  than  the  trickling  in  of  the  same 
number  of  immigrants  as  individuals.  There  is 
strength  in  numbers;  a  common  interest  would  bind 
the  newcomers  to  each  other;  if  they  really  repre- 


PROBLEMS.  195 

sented  a  variety  of  trades  and  industries,  the  com- 
munity might  be  sufficient  to  itself;  individual 
jealousies  of  old  settlers  would  be  reduced  to  a  mini- 
mum of  harmfulness.  There  would  naturally  be, 
in  case  such  a  settlement  were  established,  strong 
jealousy  between  it  as  a  whole  and  longer  established 
communities.  Such  has  always  been  the  case  in 
Liberian  history.  There  has  always  been  feeling 
between  Monrovia,  Grand  Bassa,  Greenville,  and 
Maryland.  Such  jealousies  are  natural  and  unavoid- 
able. The  only  way  in  which  they  can  be  reduced 
is  by  the  establishment  of  so  many  communities  that 
the  distance  between  them  would  be  small ;  close  con- 
tact would  develop  at  least  a  fair  degree  of  harmony. 
There  are  prominent  negroes  in  our  own  country 
who  have  urged  an  exodus  of  black  men  from  the 
United  States.  The  difficulties  of  transporting  our 
millions  of  black  men,  women,  and  children  to  Africa, 
if  they  care  to  go,  are  so  great  as  to  render  the 
scheme  actually  impracticable.  Nor  is  the  difficulty 
of  transportation  the  only  one.  The  limited  range  of 
promising  occupations  makes  it  unlikely  that  great 
numbers  will  ever  go  thither;  more  than  that, 
pronounced  success  in  the  United  States, — and 
pronounced  success  to-day  is  by  no  means  rare  among 
our  colored  population, — will  hold  the  majority  of 
colored  people  in  this  country.  There  is,  however, 
room  in  Liberia  for  many  thousands  of  settlers  and 
opportunity  for  those  among  them  who  have  no  fool- 
ish notions  and  who  possess  the  qualities  which  Green 
demands  from  those  whom  he  invites  to  come.  Bishop 
Turner  and  Dr.  Heard  urge  migration  on  the  largest 
possible  scale ;  Dr.  Ernest  Lyon  who,  at  the  time  when 
the  excitement  in  regard  to  Liberia  City  was  at  its 
height,  represented  our  government  as  minister  to 
Liberia,  discourages  "indiscriminate  immigration". 
His  report  sent  late  in  1903  to  Secretary  Hay,  of  our 
Department  of  State,  was  a  dash  to  the  high  hopes 
of  the  encouragers  of  immigration.  His  letter  was 
called  out  by  the  proposed  large  emigration  from  the 


196  LIBERIA. 

United  States  in  1904.  He  says:  "From  my  knowl- 
edge of  the  conditions  of  affairs  here,  I  beg  to  inform 
you  that  Liberia  is  not  prepared  for  indiscriminate 
immigration  in  1904.  If  immigrants  come  here  who 
are  unable  to  support  themselves  for  at  least  six 
months,  they  will  die  from  starvation  and  the  rigor 
of  the  African  climate — there  are  no  houses  here, 
even  of  a  temporary  construction,  to  protect  them 
until  they  can  build  for  themselves."  As  might  be 
expected,  this  report  of  the  resident  Minister  called 
forth  a  vigorous  reply  from  Mr.  Green.  He  closes  his 
answer  with  an  actually  able  burst  of  feeling.  He 
says:  "As  to  indiscriminate  immigration,  it  was  that 
that  planted  the  colony  of  Liberia ;  it  was  indiscrim- 
inate immigration  which  gave  birth  to  a  Republic  to 
which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lyon  might  be  accredited  United 
States  Minister ;  it  was  this  immigration  scheme 
that  gave  us  a  President  Roberts,  a  Benson,  a 
Gardner,  a  Coleman.  It  reinforced,  succored,  per- 
petuated the  Republic  in  its  infancy.  It  was  indis- 
criminate immigration  which  gave  Liberia  the  grave 
and  distinguished  statesman,  His  Excellency,  Presi- 
dent A.  Barclay,  our  present  and  honored  incumbent. 
Yes,  and  more  than  that,  even  America  is  a  child  of 
indiscriminate  immigration  which  yet  constitutes  the 
greatest  increase  of  American  humanity.  It  made 
America  great.  May  it  not  make  Liberia  great?" 
Thousands  of  American  black  men  might  no  doubt 
move  to  Liberia  with  advantage  and  profit  to  them- 
selves and  to  their  adopted  country.  The  Republic 
offers  a  rich  field.  But  it  needs  no  idlers,  no  paupers, 
no  criminals.  No  one  should  go  without  having  clear 
ideas  as  to  his  plans;  the  questions  of  "receptacle", 
location,  temporary  support,  must  be  looked  into  and 
provided  for.  And  the  newcomer  who  is  to  be  suc- 
cessful must  be  forceful,  self-reliant,  and  ready  to 
meet  with  temporary  pre.iudice.  While  the  condi- 
tions of  many  blacks  might  be  improved  by  removal 
to  Liberia,  the  black  population  in  this  country  would 
be  advantaged  by  the  elimination;  if  a  considerable 


PROBLEMS.  197 

number  of  emigrants  were  to  go  to  Liberia,  pressure 
here  would  be  relieved  and  conditions  would  be 
improved. 

There  will  of  course  be  a  constant  trickling  of  new- , 
comers  from  this  country  to  Liberia;  there  may  very 
well  be  a  constant  stream.  Such  a  stream  indeed  is 
necessary,  if  the  vigor  and  vitality  of  Liberia  is  to  be 
maintained ;  new  blood  is  desirable — whether  wel- 
come or  not.  Know-nothing-ism  is  not  confined  to 
Liberia  or  to  any  one  place.  In  the  United  States  we 
have  a  condition  Avhich  is  comparable  to  that  which 
Liberia  presents.  Here,  too,  the  old  population  is 
barely  holding  its  own,  if  it  is  doing  so ;  the  old 
families  of  New  England  and  the  eastern  seaboard 
have  largely  run  to  seed ;  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  a  gi*eat  and  steady  immigration  of  European 
whites  pour  in  to  maintain  our  life  by  the  infusion  of 
new  blood.  Such  immigration  of  course  is  not  wel- 
comed by  our  "true  Americans".  If  rigid  exclusion 
could  be  practiced,  we  should  soon  face  a  condition 
much  like  that  of  France.  If  we  are  to  live  and 
occupy  a  significant  place  among  the  nations  of  the 
world,  we  must  accept  this  constant  incoming  of 
population  from  outside.  The  mixture  of  these  new- 
comers with  our  own  people,  fagged  and  worn  out  by 
new  and  unfavorable  conditions,  produces  a  new  stock 
with  sufficient  vigor  to  carry  on  our  national  devel- 
opment. The  hope  of  Liberia  lies  largely  in  a  con- 
siderable immigration  of  black  people  from  our  south- 
ern states. 

One  of  the  most  serious  dangers  of  Liberia  lies  in 
its  isolation;  it  needs  contact;  everything  that  tends 
toward  an  increase  of  contact  with  the  outside  world 
is  good.  Liberia  needs  ideas,  friends,  interchange; 
otherwise  stagnation  is  inevitable — and  death.  She 
must  receive  these  aids  either  from  Europe  or  from 
America ;  she  will  of  course  receive  them  from  both ; 
but  the  source  of  the  greater  part  of  her  inspiration 
and  ideals  must  be  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  and 


198  LIBERIA. 

from  our  people  of  color.  Immigration  from  America, 
whether  small  or  great,  must  necessarily  be  helpful. 
If  great  and  constant,  difficulties  will  be  lightened 
and  helpful  bonds  strengthened. 


If  the  temporary  management  in  the  hands  of  others  of  a 
part  of  our  governmental  machinery  will  result  in  actual  and 
permanent  independence  and  international  respect,  which  I 
firmly  believe  will  be  the  outcome,  then  it  becomes  our  impera- 
tive duty  as  patriotic  citizens  to  make  such  a  necessary  and 
noble  sacrifice. — Daniel  E.  Howard. 

THE  FOREIGN  DEBT  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 

THE  LOAN  OF  1870. 

On  January  26,  1870,  the  Legislature  authorized 
President  Edward  J.  Roye  to  negotiate  a  loan  not 
exceeding  £100,000,  at  not  more  than  7  per  cent  inter- 
est; the  bonds  were  to  run  for  fifteen  years,  and 
three  years'  interest  advanced  might  be  deducted. 
Of  the  sum  to  be  received  upon  this  loan  £20,000  was 
to  be  used  in  buying  up  all  the  checks,  scripts,  cur- 
rency debentures,  and  government  paper  of  what- 
ever kind  then  afloat;  £20,000  more  was  to  be  depos- 
ited securely  as  a  basis  for  the  issue  of  a  paper 
currency  in  what  were  to  be  known  as  Treasury 
Notes;  the  balance  of  the  proceeds  of  the  loan  was  to 
be  deposited  in  some  reliable  bank  as  an  emergency 
fund  to  be  drawn  upon  at  need  by  special  act  of  the 
Legislature. 

At  the  time  when  this  action  of  the  Legislature 
was  taken.  President  Roye  was  about  to  go  to  Eng- 
land; it  was  supposed  that  he  would  attend  to  the 
business  while  in  London,  and  that  considerable 
expense  would  be  saved  to  the  nation  by  his  personal 
attention  to  the  details  of  the  arrangement;  for  some 
reason  or  other,  he  did  not  take  up  the  matter  while 
he  was  absent.  On  his  return  to  Monrovia,  however, 
he  proceeded  to  secure  the  loan.  He  appointed  David 
Chinery,  at  that  time  consul  for  Liberia  in  London, 
Henry  V.  Johnson,  Sr.,  and  W.  S.  Anderson,  com- 

199 


200  LIBERIA, 

missioners — the  two  latter  being  sent  to  London  for 
the  purpose — to  negotiate  the  loan.  President  Roye 
should  of  course  have  submitted  this  whole  matter  to 
the  Legislature;  there  was  considerable  objection  to 
the  loan,  and  no  serious  steps  should  have  been  taken 
regarding  it  without  the  authorization  of  the  legis- 
lative body.  The  commissioners  succeeded  in  negoti- 
ating the  loan  for  £100,000  at  7  per  cent  interest,  at 
30  per  cent  below  par;  three  years'  interest  were 
deducted  from  the  £70,000,  leaving  a  balance  of 
£49,000  to  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  commis- 
sioners. "Then  followed,"  to  quote  the  words  of 
President  Roberts,  ' '  a  system  of  charges,  speculations, 
and  frauds  unparalleled,  I  presume,  in  any  public 
loan  transactions  of  modern  times."  No  sooner  had 
the  news  of  the  negotiation  reached  President  Roye, 
than  he  commenced  to  draw  against  it  for  himself 
and  others,  not  waiting  for  any  part  of  it  to  be  paid 
into  the  treasury  of  the  Republic  for  the  purposes 
specified  in  the  act,  and  before  the  Legislature  had 
accepted  the  loan  or  taken  any  action  in  regard  to  it. 
More  than  that,  without  legislative  authority,  he  sent 
an  order  drawn  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury — 
a  member  of  his  own  family — approved  by  himself 
for  £10,000  value  of  merchandise,  alleging  that  this 
was  on  acount  of  the  government.  Mr.  Chinery,  in 
filling  this  order,  sent  merchandise  invoiced  at  more 
than  £14,000,  including  transportation,  shipping- 
charges,  freight,  insurance,  etc.,  most  of  the  articles 
being  charged  at  amounts  in  excess  of  their  market 
value,  many  of  them  inferior  in  quality,  and  some 
nearly,  and  others  entirely,  useless  in  Liberia.  How 
much  was  actually  realized  of  this  loan  no  one  knows ; 
Sir  Harry  Johnston  says  £27,000;  Ferguson  (from 
whom  we  draw  most  of  the  particulars  regarding  this 
transaction)  says  £17,903.  In  return  for  it,  at  least 
£80,000  in  bonds  were  issued — Sir  Harry  Johnston 
says  perhaps  the  whole  £100,000. 

The  moment  was  one  of  political  disturbance.     In 
1869  there  had  been  an  effort  to  amend  the  consti- 


PROBLEMS.  201 

tution  so  as  to  extend  the  office  of  President  from  a 
term  of  two  years  to  one  of  four;  the  effort  failed. 
In  May,  1871,  when  his  two  years  had  elapsed,  Roye 
attempted  to  continue  himself  in  power  for  two  years 
longer ;  a  shadow  of  an  excuse  for  this  usurpation  was 
found  in  this  attempted  passing  of  an  amendment. 
This  bold  coup,  together  with  the  dissatisfaction 
regarding  the  loan,  led  to  his  being  hurled  from 
power.  Notice  of  the  disturbed  condition  of  the 
Republic  was  at  once  sent  to  the  representative  of 
Liberia  in  London,  and  to  the  bondholders ;  the  newly 
established  government  ordered  all  drafts,  etc.,  for 
money  received  on  acount  of  the  loan  to  be  stopped, 
countermanded  the  orders  for  goods,  and  demanded  a 
statu  quo  until  the  Legislature  should  have  a  chance 
to  act ;  legal  proceedings  were  taken  against  Commis- 
sioners Johnson  and  Anderson;  Chinery  was  dis- 
charged from  his  office  as  Liberian  Consul  in  London ; 
Mr.  John  Jackson  was  appointed  Consul-General  in 
his  place  and  took  charge  of  matters.  So  palpable 
was  the  mismanagement  of  this  whole  transaction  in 
London,  and  so  extravagant  had  been  the  charges 
and  other  outlays  connected  with  it,  that  Consul 
Jackson  took  legal  proceedings  to  protect  the  interests 
of  the  Republic. 

Through  a  period  of  almost  thirty  years,  the  mat- 
ter of  this  loan  was  constantly  agitated,  and  it  was 
only  in  1898  that  the  Liberian  Consul,  Henry  Hay- 
man,  was  able  to  bring  about  a  final  arrangement  of 
the  unhappy  affair.  At  that  time  the  Liberian  Gov- 
ernment recognized  its  responsibility  to  the  amount 
of  £80,000 ;  it  agreed  to  begin  payment  at  once  upon 
the  bonds — paying  interest  at  the  rate  of  3  per  cent 
the  first  three  years,  4  per  cent  for  the  following 
three  years,  and  5  per  cent  thereafter  until  both  the 
principal  and  interest  be  fully  paid ;  after  that,  the 
back  interests  would  be  assumed  at  5  per  cent.  Since 
this  adjustment,  the  Liberian  Government  has  regu- 
larly and  honorably  met  its  interest  payments.  Sir 
Harry  Johnston,  in  his  great  work  on  Liberia,  speaks 


202  LIBERIA. 

vigorously  aud  frankly  regarding  this  loan  of 
1870,  which  was  a  disgraceful  operation  for  British 
financiers, 

THE   LOAN    OP    1906. 

It  is  curious  that,  in  connection  with  the  next 
financial  undertaking  of  the  Republic,  which  was 
little,  if  any,  more  satisfactory  than  the  loan  of  1870, 
Sir  Harry  himself  should  have  played  a  significant 
part.  When  President  Barclay  and  his  companions 
were  in  Loudon  in  1906,  they  made  arrangements  for 
a  new  loan,  also  of  £100,000.  An  interview  was  held 
at  the  office  of  Consul-General  Hayman,  at  which 
were  present  Sir  Harry  H.  Johnston,  chairman  of 
the  Liberian  Development  Co.,  Limited,  together 
with  some  of  this  company's  officers,  Mr.  Clark  of  the 
Foreign  Office,  Emil  Erlanger,  and  Consul  Hayman. 
Mr.  Erlanger  represented  the  brokers  through  whom 
the  Liberian  Development  Co.  were  to  secure  a  loan 
of  £100,000  for  the  benefit  of  Liberia.  Excellent 
discussions  of  this  loan  by  Mr.  Ellis,  who  was  so  long 
connected  with  our  Legation  at  Monrovia,  and  Mr. 
Scott,  who  was  a  member  of  the  United  States  Com- 
mission in  1909,  have  been  printed.  It  is  from  these 
articles  that  we  draw  our  details. 

The  proceeds  of  the  loan  of  1906  were  to  be  applied 
in  the  following  manner:  (a)  $25,000  was  to  be  used 
for  pressing  Liberian  obligations;  (b)  $125,000  was  to 
be  employed  in  the  payment  of  domestic  debts;  (c) 
$35,000  was  to  be  loaned  to  the  Liberian  Develop- 
ment Co.;  (d)  the  balance  was  to  be  devoted  to  the 
development  of  banking,  and  for  road  schemes  by 
the  Liberian  Development  Co.  in  Liberia.  As  secur- 
ity for  this  loan,  two  British  officials,  as  chief  and 
assistant  inspectors  of  customs,  were  to  have  charge 
of  the  Liberian  customs  revenue;  the  chief  inspector 
was  to  act  also  as  financial  adviser  to  the  Republic; 
$30,000  annually  (in  semi-annual  payments)  was  to 
be  turned  in  as  interest  until  the  whole  loan  was  re- 
paid ;   10  per  cent  of  any  excess  over  $250,000  in 


PROBLEMS.  203 

customs  revenue  per  year  was  to  be  received  by  the 
Liberian  Development  Co.  The  "company  was 
charged  with  the  responsibility  of  returning  the  loan 
to  Erlanger  and  Co.  by  the  payment  of  50  per  cent  of 
the  net  profits  derived  from  the  exercise  of  the  powers 
and  privileges  of  the  charter  of  the  former  company, 
together  with  profits  from  the  banking  and  road 
schemes  to  be  undertaken  in  Liberia." 

The  loan  was  actually  applied  as  follows:  (a)  to 
the  extinguishment  of  domestic  debts,  £30,000;  (b) 
loaned  to  the  Liberian  Development  Co.,  £7000;  (c) 
in  carrying  out  road  schemes,  £32,776.11.3;  (d)  ob- 
tained by  Liberia  on  ratification  of  tripartite  agree- 
ment of  1908,  £30,223.8.9 ;  total,  £100,000. 

Friction  soon  arose  in  the  administration  of  the 
customs.  The  Liberian  Development  Co.  constructed 
fifteen  miles  of  automobile  road  in  the  Careysberg 
District,  bought  a  small  steam  launch  for  the  St. 
Paul's  River,  and  purchased  two  automobiles;  it 
then  announced  that  its  road  fund  was  completely 
exhausted,  after  having  spent,  on  an  ordinary  dirt 
road,  about  $163,882.  Liberian  dissatisfaction  was 
great,  and  question  was  raised  regarding  the  "bal- 
ance of  the  £70,000  which  had  been  entrusted  with- 
out security  to  the  management  of  the  company." 
In  the  investigation  which  followed  in  an  attempt  to 
rearrange  affairs,  considerable  feeling  appears  to  have 
been  shown.  Sir  Harry  Johnston  had  repeatedly 
ignored  the  requests  of  President  Barclay  for  an 
accounting  by  his  company ;  in  the  interview  in  which 
efforts  at  adjustment  were  made,  he  is  said  to  have 
conducted  himself  in  a  supercilious  manner  and  to 
have  expressed  his  surprise  "that  the  President 
should  have  required  the  company  to  furnish  him 
with  a  statement  of  accounts,  and  disclaimed  any 
responsibility  for  the  manner  in  which  the  money 
had  been  expended".  Under  the  tripartite  arrange- 
ment which  was  entered  into  between  the  Govern- 
ment of  Liberia,  Erlanger  and  Co.,  and  the  Liberian 
Development    Co.,    Chartered    and   Limited,    it   was 


204  LIBERIA, 

finally  arranged  that  "Liberia  assume  direct  respon- 
sibility to  Messrs.  Erlanger  and  Co.  for  the  loan  of 
1906,  and,  aside  from  obtaining  some  advantages  in 
the  new  Agreement,  secured  from  the  Liberian  Devel- 
opment Co.  the  residue  of  the  loan,  amounting  to 
£30,223.8.9,  and  practically  dispensed  with  the  future 
services  of  this  company  in  the  solution  of  the  new 
Liberian  problems." 

Mr.  Emmett  Scott  makes  some  pertinent  observa- 
tions in  connection  with  this  affair.  He  says:  "Sir 
Harry  Johnston,  in  his  book,  quite  spiritedly  criti- 
cizes the  agreements  under  the  loan  of  1871.  It  is 
hard  to  determine,  however,  how  less  one-sided  they 
were  than  those  of  his  own  benevolent  corporation, 
even  if  his  company  had  in  perfect  good  faith  carried 
out  their  part  of  the  bargain.  The  suggestion  that 
the  customs  should  be  collected  by  European  experts, 
Englishmen  being  understood,  introduced,  of  course, 
the  feature  of  external  control  into  the  customs  serv- 
ice ..  .  of  the  so-called  experts  sent  to  Liberia 
under  the  agreement,  the  first  one's  selection  was,  to 
say  the  least,  unfortunate.  He  all  but  confessed  his 
utter  failure  after  two  or  three  months  to  understand 
what  he  was  about,  although  he  had  been  granted  a 
salary  of  about  $3500  a  year,  much  more  than  he  had 
received  in  the  British  service  in  Sierra  Leone.  The 
second  one  appointed  has  developed  into  a  somewhat 
capable  official,  although  his  chief  claim  to  being 
called  an  expert  was,  it  is  said,  that  he  had  success- 
fully raised  oranges  in  California.  He  was  certainly 
no  customs  expert,  and,  I  learn,  had  probably  never 
been  inside  of  a  customs  house.  He  received  £500  a 
year.  The  present  chief  inspector  of  customs  is  a 
wholly  efficient  man,  but  while  doing  similar  service 
at  Freetown,  Sierra  Leone,  the  neighboring  country, 
he  received  a  salary  of  £300  or  $1500  a  year,  while 
the  Liberians  are  called  upon  to  pay  him  a  salary  of 
£1000,  or  $5000  a  year.  This  salary,  perhaps  I  should 
state,  is  twice  that  received  by  the  President  of  the 
Republic,     Efforts  to  reduce  this  salary  to  £700  or 


PROBLEMS.  205 

$3500  have  recently  been  made,  but  with  what  suc- 
cess I  cannot  chronicle." 

Again :  ' '  The  company 's  high-handed  manner  of 
expending  the  money  on  hand,  however,  engendered 
so  much  bad  blood,  that  at  last  President  Barclay 
applied  to  Sir  Harry  Johnston,  managing  director  of 
the  Liberian  Development  Co.,  for  an  accounting. 
The  latter,  it  is  said,  expressed  the  greatest  surprise 
that  such  a  demand  should  be  made  upon  him,  and 
disclaimed  any  and  all  responsibility  to  the  Liberian 
Government  for  the  way  in  which  the  money  had  been 
or  was  to  be  expended.  He  persistently  refused  to 
render  any  accounts  until  he  found  the  position  he 
maintained  was  so  untenable  that  he  could  not 
depend  upon  his  government  for  support ;  he  also 
found  that  President  Barclay  was  about  to  sever  all 
relations  with  his  company,  maintaining,  in  the 
absence  of  any  accounting,  that  the  Government  of 
Liberia  would  hold  itself  responsible  only  for  the 
cash  actually  received.  About  $200,000  of  the  amount 
raised  on  the  credit  of  the  government,  it  is  said,  had 
been  frittered  away  on  badly  managed  schemes." 

And  finally:  "In  dismissing  this  loan  of  1906,  may 
I  say  that  no  one  now  contends  that  the  Liberian 
Development  Co.  has,  or  has  had,  any  money  aside 
from  that  raised  on  the  Government's  credit;  to-day 
it  is  practically  bankrupt.  The  relations  between  the 
Government  and  the  Company  have  been  severed, 
and  under  the  agreement  of  1908  with  Messrs. 
Erlanger,  London,  the  Liberian  Government  is 
responsible  for  the  whole  loan. 

THE  AMERICAN  LOAN. 

Conditions  became  desperate;  there  were  now  two 
obligations  to  British  creditors,  each  for  a  handsome 
sum,  and  both  drawing  interest ;  more  than  that,  there 
had  grown  up  a  considerable  domestic  debt;  real 
bankruptcy  seemed  to  threaten  the  nation.  As  a 
result  of  the  visit  of  the  American  Commission  to 
Liberia   in    1909,    the   United    States   used   its  good 


206  LIBERIA, 

offices  ill  favor  of  the  Republic,  and  arrangements 
were  perfected  whereby  certain  banking  institutions 
of  the  United  States,  Germany,  France,  and  Great 
Britain  furnished  the  Republic  of  Liberia  with  a  loan 
of  $1,700,000 ;  this  loan  was  to  be  used  in  the  pay- 
ment of  its  domestic  and  foreign  debts.  According  to 
the  official  report  of  the  Commission,  the  public  debt 
of  Liberia  in  1909  amounted  to  the  sum  of  $1,289,- 
570.60.  Mr.  George  W  Ellis  has  prepared  an  excel- 
lent paper  regarding  this  loan,  and  from  it  we 
abbreviate  our  own  statement.  In  order  to  secure 
the  loan,  the  Liberian  customs  revenues  are  tem- 
porarily to  be  placed  in  charge  of  a  customs  receiver- 
ship, with  a  general  receiver  appointed  from  the 
United  States  by  the  President,  and  holding  office 
during  his  pleasure,  and  three  receivers,  one  each 
from  Great  Britain,  Germany,  and  France,  appointed 
by,  and  holding  office  during  the  pleasure  of,  their 
respective  governments.  As  further  security  for  the 
loan,  the  revenues  from  exports  and  imports,  duties 
on  rubber,  and  all  head  moneys  are  pledged.  Five 
per  cent  gold  bonds  in  denominations  of  $1000,  $500, 
and  $100,  for  a  period  of  forty  years,  interest  and 
principal  payable  in  New  York,  are  to  be  issued  by  the 
Liberian  Government.  The  Liberian  revenues  sub- 
ject to  the  loan  are  transferred  for  its  service  and 
are  termed  "assigned  revenues";  these  assigned  rev- 
enues are  in  charge  of  the  receivership.  The  majority 
of  the  receivers  have  the  power  to  suspend  customs 
officials,  make  temporary  appointments,  make  rules 
and  regulations  relative  to  the  assigned  revenues; 
they  have  a  right  to  adequate  patrol  for  land  and  sea, 
and  in  case  such  is  not  furnished,  to  supply  it  them- 
selves. The  general  receiver  has  a  salary  of  $5000, 
the  others,  $2500.  A  monthly  report  of  accounts  is  to 
be  rendered  to  the  government.  As  a  condition  of  the 
loan,  the  frontier  police  force  is  to  be  maintained; 
the  President  of  the  United  States  is  to  assign  train- 
ing officers,  to  be  paid  from  the  assigned  revenues. 
The  General  Receiver  is  also  the  Financial  Adviser  of 


PROBLEMS.  207 

the  Liberian  Government;  he  is  to  systematize  the 
finances  of  Liberia ;  and  to  approve  statements  before 
submission  to  the  legislature.  Appropriations  must 
not  overrun  the  revenues;  after  the  legislature  ad- 
journs, the  President,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and 
the  Financial  Adviser  must  revise  the  appropriations 
if  they  have  overrun ;  their  act  is  binding  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury.  The  Financial  Adviser  co-oper- 
ates with  the  government  in  establishing  economical 
and  efficient  administration  and  expenditure.  The 
debts  of  the  Republic  are  to  be  at  once  paid — by  bonds 
where  the  creditors  chose  to  receive  them.  The 
bankers  are  to  receive  for  their  services  their  out-of- 
pocket  expenses,  legal  charges,  commission  on  the 
face  value  of  the  5  per  cent  bonds,  and  5  per  cent 
on  the  bonds  purchased  by  themselves.  Residue  bonds 
are  to  be  held  by  the  fiscal  agents  to  meet  approved, 
unadjusted  indebtedness:  final  residue  bonds  will  be 
sold  and  the  money  paid  to '  Liberia  for  public 
improvements  approved  by  the  General  Receiver.  In 
order  that  this  agreement  should  go  into  effect,  it  was 
necessary  that  the  Liberian  Legislature  should  pass 
all  necessary  measures  of  approval  before  January  1, 
1912.  This  was  done.  There  was  some  delay  in 
finally  placing  the  funds  at  the  disposition  of  the 
Liberian  Government,  but  at  present  everything  has 
been  arranged  and  the  new  loan  is  in  effect.  This 
arrangement  caused  general  joy  throughout  the 
Republic ;  it  was  felt  not  only  that  it  released  the 
people  from  a  heavy  and  dangerous  obligation  to 
unfriendly  creditors,  but  that  it  probably  began  a 
period  of  closer  relationship  between  the  United 
States  and  Liberia.  It  is  possible  that  too  much  of  a 
feeling  of  security  existed.  It  is  likely  that  more  joy 
was  felt  over  the  receipt  of  $1,700,000  than  of 
responsibility  for  its  ultimate  repayment.  On  the 
whole,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  loan  is  favorable 
to  the  Republic.  The  government  has  realized  a 
much  larger  percentage  of  actual  funds  than  in  any 
of  its  preceding  financial  undertakings.     There  are, 


208  LIBERIA. 

however,  some  weak  points  in  the  plan.  It  is  unfor- 
tunate that  the  loan  was  theoretically  made  through 
banks  of  different  nations;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it 
was  an  American  enterprise,  and  should  have  been  so 
in  word  as  well.  There  is  no  reason  why  foreign 
nations  should  be  interested — except  indeed  that 
Great  Britain  should  experience  a  sentiment  of  joy 
in  having  the  interests  of  her  citizens  secured.  The 
sum  of  $1,700,000  is  so  small  that  it  could  have  been 
easily  supplied  by  American  houses  and  considered  a 
little  matter  with  no  actual  political  relations.  That 
the  loan  should  have  been  secured  by  a  receivership  is 
just,  but  it  would  have  been  much  better  to  have 
appointed  a  single  American  receiver  instead  of  four 
men  of  different  nations.  In  this  international 
receivership  there  lies  considerable  danger.  Friction 
is  likely.  France,  England,  Germany  are  suspicious 
of  each  other.  The  simplest  act  is  liable  to  miscon- 
struction, and  one  or  another  of  the  three  sub- 
receivers  is  likely  to  feel  his  dignity  and  that  of  his 
nation  affected,  and  squabbles  are  certain  to  arise. 
The  American  receiver,  as  is  proper,  is  given  the 
position  of  leadership.  Suppose  he  were  to  die  or  be 
unfit  for  service ;  which  of  the  other  three  receivers 
will  take  his  place  ?  There  appears  to  be  no  arrange- 
ment made  for  such  a  contingency,  yet  it  is  quite 
certain  to  arise,  and  if  it  should,  the  man  who  tem- 
porarily assumes  the  duties,  will  be  particularly  likely 
to  find  himself  in  trouble.  The  question  as  to  location 
of  the  four  receivers  may  some  time  or  other  raise 
difficulties.  Suppose,  for  example,  the  British 
receiver  were  placed  at  Cape  Mount,  adjacent  to 
British  territory,  and  the  French  receiver  were  to  be 
located  at  Cape  Palmas,  close  to  French  authority ; 
opportunity  for  unfaithfulness  to  the  Republic  would 
be  very  great.  There  is  nothing  in  the  history  of  the 
past  to  warrant  us  in  assuming  that  these  officials 
would  be  men  of  such  high  spirit  and  principle  as  to 
resist  temptation.  The  possibility  of  difficulties 
between  the  General  Receiver  and  the  Liberian  Gov- 


PROBLEMS.  209 

ernment  is  also  very  great.  He  is  given  large  powers ; 
unless  he  is  a  man  of  extraordinary  ability  and  well- 
balanced  character,  it  is  certain  that  complications 
will  arise ;  there  will  be  constant  risk  of  his  inter- 
meddling in  every  field  of  governmental  affairs.  Some 
of  these  difficulties  of  coui^e  are  inherent  in  a 
receivership,  and  as  a  receivership  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary, their  risk  must  be  accepted. 

On  the  whole,  the  American  loan  should  be  a  great 
help  to  Liberia.  Friends  of  the  Republic  hope  for 
the  best  results.  The  government  is  given  a  breath- 
i^ig  spell,  and  time  and  opportunity  for  the  re-adjust- 
ment of  its  economic  interests.  There  is  no  danger, 
if  the  receivership  is  competent,  but  that  the  income 
of  the  nation  will  easily  carry  the  loan  with  all  its 
obligations,  and  leave  ample  funds  in  balance  for  the 
legitimate  enterprises  of  the  government.  It  is 
reasonable  to  hope  that  Liberia  has  entered  upon  a 
period  of  prosperity. 


14. 


Yes,  I  say  these  were  but  slaves  who  gave  us  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.  They  were  but  slaves  who  framed  our  Con- 
stitution, they  were  but  slaves  who  eombatted  with  the  odds  of 
life,  amidst  wars,  devastation,  and  foreign  aggressions  to  hold 
intact  for  us  and  for  our  children  this  home  of  ours. — S.  D. 
Ferguson,  Jr. 

POLITICS. 

We  have  hesitated  long  about  undertaking  this  dis- 
cussion of  Liberian  politics.  We  are  almost  certain 
to  be  misunderstood,  no  matter  what  we  say  or  how 
we  say  it.  In  Liberia  they  will  feel  that  we  lack 
sympathy,  that  we  drag  forth  their  weaknesses  and 
expose  them  to  public  scorn ;  in  this  country  they  will 
fail  to  see  that  the  weak  points  of  Liberian  politics 
are  common  to  all  republics,  that  they  are  as  flagrant 
among  ourselves  as  in  Liberia;  in  foreign  lands — 
should  our  book  be  read  in  such — what  we  say  will 
be  taken  as  justification  for  continued  aggression 
and  interference.  We  wish  that  Liberia  were  a  land 
of  general  education ;  that  the  whole  population  had 
a  clear  understanding  of  the  duties  of  citizenship ; 
that  knowledge  of  public  questions  were  general. 
Such  conditions  are  ideal  in  a  republic.  We  do  not 
find  them  in  Liberia ;  we  do  not  find  them  here. 
Liberian  politics  is  patterned  on  our  own ;  its  weak- 
nesses are  our  weaknesses.  It  is  easy  for  us  to  see 
its  faults  because  we  are  an  outside  party;  because 
we  are  rich  and  they  are  poor;  because  we  are  white 
and  they  are  black.  In  Liberia  there  is  a  general 
desire  to  feed  at  the  public  trough ;  it  makes  no  dif- 
ference what  a  man  is  or  what  he  has  accomplished, 
every  one  is  ready  to  go  into  politics;  neither  trade, 
agriculture,  nor  professional  life  restrains  a  man 
who   has   political   opportunities   presented   to   him ; 

210 


PROBLEMS.  211 

everybody  of  ability  wants  office.  This  is  unfor- 
tunate; it  is  neither  strange,  unique,  nor  blame- 
worthy. Every  official,  however,  has  a  list  of  depend- 
ents; once  in  office,  he  must  provide  for  others;  the 
number  of  brothers,  sons,  nephews,  and  cousins  of 
officials  who  find  some  clerkship  or  small  appoint- 
ment is  relatively  larf?e.  As  almost  every  office  in 
the  Republic,  save  that  of  representatives  and  sen- 
ators, is  appointed  by  the  President,  it  is  very  easy 
for  one  who  holds  office  to  practice  nepotism.  It  is 
and  will  be  a  long  time  before  anything  like  actual 
civil  service  can  find  a  place  in  Liberia.  Such  a 
condition  of  course  leads  to  little  activity  in  the  doing 
of  work  for  the  Government;  the  less  a  man  can  do 
to  earn  his  salary,  the  better,  so  long  as  he  is  certain 
of  his  job.  We  have  already  called  attention  to  the 
fact,  quoting  from  Ellis,  that  there  is  relatively  little 
of  what  we  know  as  party  politics  in  Liberia.  Prac- 
tically there  are  no  well  marked  political  platforms 
based  on  principles.  If,  perchance,  hostility  to  the 
powers  that  be  threatens  to  become  dangerous,  it 
may  be  checked  by  skilful  appointment  from  the 
opposition  to  office.  Thus,  at  the  last  election,  which 
was  the  most  bitterly  fought  for  many  years,  it  was 
claimed  that  the  defeated  candidate,  J.  J.  Dossen, 
would  never  be  heard  of  in  politics  again ;  such, 
however,  was  not  the  case;  he  must  be  provided  for, 
in  order  that  his  later  course  might  not  threaten  the 
existing  status;  being  without  a  job,  he  received 
appointment  to  the  presidency  of  Liberia  College — a 
mere  temporary  arrangement  of  course ;  he  is  now 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

There  are,  however,  personal  likes  and  dislikes 
which  will  vent  themselves  in  outbursts  of  party 
spirit.  The  last  election  was  really  furious.  It 
voiced  the  local  jealousies  of  the  whole  Republic. 
Just  as  in  the  state  of  Illinois  it  is  Chicago  against 
the  counties,  and  as  in  New  York  State  it  is  the  City 
of  New  York  aerainst  the  upstate  districts;  so.  in 
Liberia,   it  is  Monrovia  against  the   counties.     The 


212  LIBERIA. 

election  was  really  close  after  an  exciting  campaign. 
Charges  of  fraud  were  bitterly  advanced.  According 
to  the  African  League,  there  were  wild  doings  in  Bassa 
County  where  it  is  printed.  We  refrain  from  really 
quoting  the  interesting  and  exciting  passages  from  its 
article,  but  venture  to  give  here  its  opening  para- 
graphs : 

"As  the  day  of  election  approached,  great  prep- 
arations were  made  by  the  Government  and  the  Gov- 
ernment officials  to  defeat  the  National  True  Whig 
Party  at  any  cost,  and  in  any  manner.  They  sent 
money  in  every  direction  to  call  unqualified  name- 
less bushmen  to  come,  and  put  into  the  hands  of  the 
Sheriff  a  paper  which  is  worth  only  so  much  gin  and 
rum  to  the  bushmen.  These  bush  people  had  never 
seen,  nor  heard  of,  the  registrar's  office.  Neither  do 
they  own  any  land  in  contemplation  of  law,  but 
Howard  people,  simply  because  they  have  had  the 
Government's  approval  in  this  corruption,  had 
planned  to  force  the  corruption  into  the  polls. 

The  people  who  stand  for  law  and  order  sent 
white  plates  to  all  the  native  chiefs,  after  the  cus- 
toms of  the  heathen,  telling  them  to  have  nothing  to 
do  with  the  matter  in  which  they  are  not  concerned 
and  know  nothing  about. 

The  Government  people  threatened  that  they 
would  vote  these  bush  people  or  die.  The  people 
knew  what  that  meant,  and  they  began  to  prepare 
for  the  worst,  for  they  were  determined  that  the  law 
should  not  be  trampled  under  foot  in  that  way  to 
their  pre.judice,  and  that,  too,  by  those  who  are  the 
administrators  of  the  law.  On  Monday,  the  first  of 
May,  a  host  of  these  uncivilized  bush  people,  headed 
by  Major  Horace,  flocked  into  the  upper  ward  of 
Buchanan,  well  armed  with  the  best  guns  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  that  night  shooting  in  the  streets  was 
a  common  thing.  Near  Lower  Buchanan,  there  were 
different  bands  of  these  wild,  bush  people  in  camp 
carrying  on  their  savage  plays.  In  Lower  Buchanan 
at  the  Vai  town,  the  hideous  noise  was  kept  up  all 


PROBLEMS.  213 

night,  apparently  as  a  menace  to  the  citizens  for  the 
next  day."  On  the  following  day  the  election  took 
place  throughout  the  Republic,  resulting  in  the  con- 
tinuance in  power  of  the  interests  which  for  so  long 
had  controlled  the  destinies  of  the  nation;  nine  con- 
tested cases  were  lodged  against  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives and  one  against  the  Senate ;  threats  ran 
high,  feeling  was  intense.  It  is  certainly  an  interest- 
ing moment  when  more  than  half  the  membership  of 
a  house  of  Congress  is  in  dispute.  Yet  this  excite- 
ment was  allayed,  and  the  contests  were  all  with- 
drawn; it  was  realized  that  Congress  had  important 
business  before  it  in  connection  Avith  the  American 
Loan,  and  that  the  future  of  the  Republic  would  be 
seriously  jeopardized  if  the  time  of  Congress  were 
taken  up  with  hearing  contest  cases  instead  of  deal- 
ing with  these  outside  matters. 

There  is  no  question  that  in  Liberia  illegal  voting 
is  common.  The  election  to  which  we  have  referred 
above  was  that  of  1911 ;  in  1901  Bishop  Ferguson 
issued  a  charge  to  his  clergy  and  lay  members  upon 
the  subject  of  election  evils  in  which  the  following 
words  occur:  "The  corruptions  and  wickedness  that 
have  attended  the  last  three  or  four  campaigns  are 
startling  to  all  right-minded  people,  and,  if  con- 
tinued, no  prophet  is  needed  to  foretell  the  disastrous 
consequences  that  will  inevitably  follow.  Election 
frauds,  open-handed  bribery,  and  the  utter  disre- 
gard of  all  moral  restraints  seem  to  be  the  order  of 
the  day.  Those  who  at  other  times  are  recognized  as 
Christian  gentlemen,  do  not  scruple  on  these  occa- 
sions to  perpetrate  offenses  that  are  condemned  both 
by  God's  law  and  that  of  the  state.  To  procure  the 
election  of  a  party  man,  they  lose  sight  of,  or  com- 
pletely disregard,  their  standing  in  the  Church,  in 
society,  or  the  social  circle ;  and  will  stoop  to  do  the 
meanest  act.  What  is  worse  than  all,  is  the  fact  that 
the  evils  have  become  so  rife  that  it  appears  there  are 
not  to  be  found  innocent  citizens  enough  to  punish 
the  guilty  under  the  laws  of  the  land.     And  now,  to 


214  LIBERIA. 

my  mind,  the  worst  feature  of  the  thing  is  the  fact 
that  the  aborigines — our  brothers  just  emerging  from 
the  darkness  of  heathenism — are  either  coming  volun- 
tarily, sought  out  and  persuaded,  or  actually  forced 
into  this  whirl-pool  of  corruption  and  wickedness. 
It  is  enough  to  chill  one's  blood  to  think  of  the 
impression  made  on  their  minds,  on  their  induction 
into  civilized  usages  at  such  time: — jostled  through  a 
crowd  of  men, — ruffians  now,  though  at  other  times 
Christian  gentlemen — armed  with  deadly  weapons  of 
every  description,  they  are  made  to  swear  that  they 
are  constitutionally  qualified  for  the  highest  privi- 
lege of  citizenship  under  a  republican  form  of  gov- 
ernment. ' ' 

Again  in  an  Independence  Day  address  given  by 
Dr.  Dingwall  at  Buchanan  in  1910  were  these  words : 
"Ignorant  and  purchasable  voters  are  ruinous  to  all 
other  republics.  Why  not  to  ours  likewise?  At  the 
polls  the  vote  of  a  fool  is  counted  one,  and  that  one 
takes  the  whole  of  a  philosopher's  to  cancel  it.  Now 
in  Liberia  these  are  chiefly  manufactured  from  the 
wild  heathen,  more  than  ninety-nine  in  a  night.  The 
privilege  to  take  a  few  acres  of  land  and  register 
hundreds  of  nameless  natives,  or  on  election  day  to 
vote  each  hour  the  identical  bushman,  by  simply 
christening  him  afresh  for  each  occasion,  is  a  danger- 
ous weapon  in  the  hands  of  politicians.  This  prac- 
tice would  have  destroyed  democracy,  were  these 
leaders  even  honest  in  purpose  and  patriotic  in 
spirit." 

The  seriousness  of  the  situation  is  that  any  effort  to 
keep  the  native  vote  from  being  fraudulently  cast,  is 
likely  to  interfere  with  the  legitimate  voting  of  quali- 
fied chiefs;  the  desirability  of  having  those  natives 
who  are  really  entitled  to  the  vote  exercise  their 
right  of  franchise  is  most  important;  but  to  give 
unqualified  native  voters  the  chance  to  cast  fraudu- 
lent ballots  is  bad  indeed.  Of  course  this  whele  ques- 
tion of  illegal  voting  should  hardly  shock  us;  in  my 
own  morning  paper,  the  very  day  when  I  am  writing 


PROBLEMS.  215 

this,  these  words  appear  in  prominent  head-lines: 
"Fraud  in  ballots  a  Chicago  habit  Butts  Board  told." 
It  is  impossible  for  the  pot  to  call  the  kettle  black. 
The  outside  world,  however,  unaccustomed  to  the 
little  peculiarities  of  "manhood  suffrage,"  will  no 
doubt  claim  to  be  sadly  shocked ;  it  might  even  be 
that  some  clean-skirted  nation  like  France  or  Eng- 
land might  hysterically  demand  reform. 

We  have  elsewhere  claimed  that  the  Liberians,  too, 
know  graft.  Official  salaries  are  very  small ;  why  then 
does  political  office  possess  such  great  attraction?  Of 
course  position  and  power  count  for  something;  but 
there  are  other  solid  advantages  connected  with  office 
in  Liberia  as  well  as  in  other  lands.  When  graft 
exists  in  France,  Germany,  even  in  respectable  and 
pious  England,  it  is  not  strange  that  it  exists  in  the 
African  Republic.  More  than  that,  graft  is  by  no 
means  confined  to  civilization ;  the  native  in  the  bush 
understands  it  both  in  theory  and  practice.  It  would 
be  strange  indeed  if  the  descendants  of  barbaric 
grafters,  who  had  been  trained  in  civilized  graft 
through  a  long  American  experience,  should  be  free 
from  graft  when  conducting  their  own  affairs  in  a 
new  land  as  rich  by  nature  as  is  Liberia.  The  num- 
ber of  schemes  which  are  proposed  to  the  Liberian 
Legislature  is  very  large ;  many  of  them  are  magnifi- 
cent in  their  proportions,  enterprises,  and  prospects; 
what  could  be  more  dazzling  than  the  project  sub- 
mitted a  few  years  ago  by  the  Ellsworth  Company  of 
New  York  ?  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  that  individual 
company  used  improper  means  to  influence  legis- 
lative action ;  but  a  company  with  as  ambitious  plans 
as  they  offered,  if  adequately  capitalized,  could  easily 
have  made  the  whole  Legislature  rich  rather  than  lose 
their  opportunity.  In  the  same  way  Sir  William 
Lever,  in  his  effort  to  secure  monopoly  or  large  advan- 
tage in  the  palm-oil  product  of  the  Republic  would, 
from  a  business  point  of  view,  be  amply  justified  in 
making  it  well  worth  while  for  the  patriots  to  en- 
courage his   enterprise.      Of  course,   many   of  these 


216  LIBERIA. 

schemes  fail  totally;  many  of  them  never  get  beyond 
a  paper  proposition;  in  the  past,  however,  the  Li- 
berian  Legislature  has  been  much  too  free  in  giving 
concessions  with  monopolies.  While  the  terms  given 
to  the  English  Rubber  Company  seemed  to  leave  op- 
portunity for  competitive  development  of  the  trade 
by  others,  it  practically  put  all  competitors  in  the 
power  of  the  company.  Liberia  is  beginning  to 
realize  that  in  careless  granting  of  monopolies  and 
special  privileges  she  has  hampered  her  own  freedom 
and  interfered  with  legitimate  development;  not 
long  ago  the  Government  granted  a  concession  to 
Edgar  Allen  Forbes  and  others;  it  seems  to  have 
been  a  legitimate  and  carefully-thought-out  enter- 
prise which  he  submitted ;  its  development  would  no 
doubt  be  advantageous  to  the  public;  but  it  is  found 
that  previous  concessions  were  infringed  by  some  of 
its  terms,  and  difficulties  have  arisen.  On  the  whole, 
it  would  be  much  better  for  Liberia  if  the  proposi- 
tions submitted  to  it  were  less  pretentious  and  far- 
reaching  ;  it  is  better  that  she  should  have  fifty  differ- 
ent companies  operating  within  her  borders,  each 
within  a  definite  field  and  succeeding  within  modest 
limits,  than  that  eveiything  should  be  held  in  the 
hands  of  one  or  two  great  corporations  which,  when 
a  moment  of  difficulty  comes,  may  be  able  to  bring 
influences  to  bear  which  will  threaten  or  even  destroy 
the  existence  of  the  nation. 

Liberian  officials  quite  well  know  the  thing  which 
we  call  junkets.  One  might  almost  think  himself  at 
home  at  times.  When  some  crisis  arises,  and  the 
"Lark"  must  be  sent  to  a  seat  of  danger,  high  offi- 
cials, whose  relations  to  the  Government  are  not  such 
that  their  presence  is  necessary  at  the  seat  of  dis- 
turbance, take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  for  a 
fine  outing.  The  nation  may  be  in  financial  difficulty, 
but  good  food,  good  smoking,  and  good  drinks  seem 
easily  provided ;  such  an  outing  not  infrequently 
gives  the  official  opportunity  to  transact  private  busi- 
ness, for  he  may  have  interests  near  the  seat  of  the 


PROBLEMS.  217 

disturbance.  Junkets  are  presumably  inherent  in 
governmental  activities  of  every  kind;  they  are  not 
confined  to  democracies,  though  they  are  common  in 
them.  Anywhere  of  course  they  are  undesirable  and 
should  be  curbed ;  nations,  especially  republics, 
should  not  be  called  upon  to  supply  free  outings, 
free  business  opportunities,  free  luxuries  to  individ- 
uals at  public  cost. 

One  of  the  reforms  demanded  by  the  British  mem- 
orandum was  the  improvement  of  the  judiciary. 
Here  there  was  indeed  real  reason  for  complaint. 
Liberia  has  few  well  trained  lawyers;  it  was  not 
uncommon  for  a  man  to  be  appointed  judge  who  had 
no  legal  training;  there  were  not  infrequent  cases 
of  personal  and  professional  misconduct  on  the  part 
of  judges.  President  Barclay,  in  his  message  of  1908, 
a  notable  document  be  it  said  in  passing,  says  the 
following:  "International  attacks  upon  this  (our 
judicial  system)  commenced  some  years  ago,  and  the 
movement  was  initiated  by  citizens  of  the  German 
Empire  living  in  Liberia.  But  the  crisis  has  been 
precipitated  by  our  people.  When  the  editor  of  the 
African  League,  himself  an  ex-judge,  an  attorney  at 
law,  a  citizen,  publishes  a  special  edition  of  his  paper, 
headed  "Startling  Revelations,"  in  which  the  judi- 
cial system  of  the  country  is  attacked  both  in  its 
personnel  as  well  as  on  its  administrative  side,  when 
he  describes  himself  as  a  scapegoat  and  martyr,  and 
when  months  pass  and  no  reply  to  his  attack  is  made 
by  the  persons  affected,  what  conclusion,  do  you 
think,  can  other  communities  of  the  world,  having 
business  interests  in  Liberia,  draw?"  In  his  address. 
The  Impartial  Administration  of  Justice,  the  Corner- 
Stmie  of  a  Nation,  Justice  T.  McCants  Stewart  says : 
"It  can  not  be  denied,  however,  that  our  judiciary 
to-day  is  the  object  of  serious  charges  both  by  for- 
eigners and  our  own  citizens,  and  they  are  charges 
which  demand  serious  consideration.  They  can  not 
be  brushed  aside.  The  British  Government  is  not 
alone  in  making  these  charges.    Our  own  people  have 


218  LIBERIA. 

made  them,  and  our  Chief  Executive  has  declared  to 
the  Legislature  that  evils  exist  in  our  judicial  system 
which  must  be  speedily  remedied  if  we  desire  to 
strengthen  ourselves  as  a  nation.  Gentlemen  of  the 
Bar:  Can  we  be  quiet  while  our  judges  are  charged 
both  at  home  and  abroad  with:  (1)  ignorance;  (2) 
excessive  use  of  intoxicants;  (3)  the  exhibition  of 
prejudice  or  passion  in  the  trial  of  cases;  (4)  shock- 
ing immorality;  (5)  accepting  retainers  from  pri- 
vate parties;  (6)  sharing  moneys  as  a  reward  for 
the  arrest  of  criminals;  (7)  accepting  bribes?"  This 
is  specific  enough  and  bad  enough.  To  the  credit  of 
the  nation  be  it  said  that  reforms  have  seriously  been 
undertaken,  and  the  present  condition  of  the  judi- 
ciary is  greatly  improved.  It  is  rather  interesting 
that  we  ourselves  at  this  moment  are  agitating 
against  a  corrupt  judiciary;  it  is  scarcely  likely  that 
we  are  in  a  condition  for  stone-throwing. 

Of  course  where  there  is  corruption  in  the  judi- 
ciary there  is  almost  certain  to  be  miscarriage  of 
justice.  During  the  time  we  were  in  Monrovia,  there 
was  great  excitement  over  the  ease  of  Col.  Lomax 
and  Commissioner  Cooper.  We  have  already  men- 
tioned Col.  Lomax.  He  figured  conspicuously  in  the 
Kanre-Lahun  matter,  when  he  gained  the  undying 
hostility  of  the  British ;  when  Major  Mackay  Cadell 
was  removed  from  his  position  as  the  head  of  the 
Frontier  Force,  Lomax  took  charge;  he  has  recently 
been  in  the  district  of  the  newly  acquired  Behlu 
Territory.  This  is  the  tract  of  forest  land,  of  little 
value,  which  Great  Britain  traded  to  the  Liberian 
Government  in  exchange  for  the  rich  and  desirable 
Kanre-Lahun  district.  Poor  as  that  area  is,  Britain 
wall  never  be  content  to  leave  it  in  Liberian  posses- 
sion. In  taking  over  the  area,  Col.  Lomax  was  sent 
to  the  new  boundary  with  soldiers,  and  Commissioner 
Cooper  was  sent  to  aid  in  delimiting  the  boundary. 
Of  course  there  was  trouble ;  there  would  have  been 
trouble  had  Lomax  and  Cooper  been  angels.  At  the 
town  of  Behlu  itself,  certainly  within  the  new  Li- 


PROBLEMS.  219 

berian  territory,  there  was  difficulty,  and  several 
Liberia!!  soldiers  were  killed.  All  sorts  of  eoiiiplai!its 
were  hurried  to  Monrovia  by  the  Sierra  Leo!!e  author- 
ties: — Lomax  was  causing  difficulties;  he  and  Cooper 
were  interfering  with  the  delimitation  of  the  bound- 
ary ;  Liberian  soldiers,  instigated  no  doubt  by  Lomax, 
were  teari!!g  down  the  cairns  which  iiiarked  the 
boundary  li!ie ;  the  British  commissioners  refused  to 
do  anything  unless  both  men  were  summoned  from 
the  border,  and  meantiiiie  would  charge  up  the  ex- 
penses of  the  co!nmission  for  the  period  of  their  idle- 
ness; Col.  Lomax  was  accused  of  murder — it  was 
stated  that  he  had  killed  eight  native  chiefs.  These 
complaints  were  so  urgent  and  serious  that  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Republic  sent  orders  to  Lomax  and  Cooper 
to  return  at  once  to  Monrovia;  to  these  orders  no 
attention  was  given.  The  Secretary  of  State  was 
sent  to  fetch  them,  but  is  said  to  have  stayed  in  the 
district,  apparently  sympathizing  in  their  attitude; 
it  is  asserted  that  the  deeds  of  violence,  destruction 
of  cairns,  and  insulting  of  British  commissioners  con- 
tinued after  he  was  on  the  gi-ound.  The  Postmaster- 
General  was  hurried  to  the  boundary  to  bring  back 
the  Secretary  of  State,  the  Colonel,  the  Commissio!ier, 
and  their  henchman,  Lieutenant  Morris, — who,  it 
seems,  had  been  the  active  agent  in  the  cairn  destruc- 
tion. Some  days  of  inexplicable  delay  seem  to  have 
passed,  when  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasiiry,  the 
Assistant  Secretary  of  State,  and  Capt.  Brown  (one 
of  the  American  officers)  were  hastened  to  the  scene 
of  difficulty  to  get  the  recalcitrants  home.  The  Sec- 
retary of  State,  Postmaster-General,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  and  Capt.  Brown  started  together  for  Mon- 
rovia; Lomax,  Cooper,  and  Morris  were  reported  to 
be  already  upon  their  way  through  the  interior  to 
the  capital.  Arrived  there,  Lomax  and  Cooper  were 
promptly  jailed;  less  promptly  they  were  brought 
to  trial.  The  Attorney-General  presented  the  ease 
against  them.  Lomax  was  tried  for  the  murder  of 
two  native  chiefs ;   Cooper  for  the  murder  of  a  third. 


220  LIBERIA. 

The  Lomax  trial  lasted  two  days;  it  was  before  the 
jury  for  but  ten  minutes.  He  was  found  not  guilty, 
and  was  carried  in  triumph  on  the  shoulders  of 
friends,  amidst  a  great  outburst  of  feeling,  from  the 
court-house.  The  Cooper  trial  came  the  next  day;  it 
was  promptly  decided  in  his  favor.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion that  the  Behlu  difficulty  is  on ;  Great  Britain 
will  in  some  way  get  back  the  territory  which  she  so 
generously  traded  to  Liberia;  undoubtedly  in  the 
diplomatic  dealings  regarding  it  much  will  be  made 
of  this  Lomax  case ;  there  is  not  the  least  doubt  that 
the  native  chiefs  were  killed;  there  is  no  denial  that 
Lomax  and  Cooper  were  responsible  for  the  killing; 
but  the  trial  and  its  results  are  good  psychology; 
they  were  as  inevitable  as  anything  could  be.  There 
was  in  this  case  no  actual  miscarriage  of  justice ; 
Col.  Lomax  is  a  national  hero;  he  embodied  the 
national  aspirations;  he  represented  the  nation  as 
a  victim  of  the  injustice  and  greed  of  Britain  through 
the  years ;  his  ovation  was  the  result  of  natural  senti- 
ments. It  may  not  be  diplomacy ;  it  may  not  be  good 
politics ;  but  it  is  in  the  very  nature  of  humanity. 


The  great  American  government,  after  a  silence,  far  from 
forgetting  and  abandoning  the  tender  infant  cast  upon  the 
shores  of  Africa,  has  come  in  our  hour  of  danger  to  assist  us 
on  her  strong  pinions  to  a  nest  of  safety.  If  we  but  follow  her 
example  and  heed  her  teachings  of  economy,  thrift  and  indus- 
try, and  if  we  are  just  in  our  dealings  with  men  and  nations 
we  shall  never  escape  her  vigilant  eye,  nor  cease  to  be  the 
object  of  marked  manifestation  of  interest  on  her  part. — Daniel 
E.  Howard. 

THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

In  1908  Liberian  conditions  were  desperate. 
England  and  France  had  been  alternately  slicing 
off  territory ;  debts  were  weighing  the  nation  down, 
and  creditors  were  pressing;  reforms  were  insolently 
demanded  under  threats.  The  future  indeed  was 
dark.  In  her  hour  of  desperation,  Liberia  turned  to 
the  United  States.  The  idea  of  seeking  aid  from 
us  seems  to  have  been  first  voiced  by  T.  Mc Cants 
Stewart  in  January,  1908,  A  Commission  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Legislature — consisting  of  Garretson 
W,  Gibson,  J.  J.  Dossen,  and  Charles  B.  Dunbar,  with 
Charles  R.  Branch  and  T.  J.  R.  Faulkner  as  secre- 
taries. Garretson  W.  Gibson  had  been  President  of 
the  Republic  and  was  a  man  well  on  in  years  and 
generally  respected ;  J.  J.  Dossen  was  at  the  time 
Vice-President ;  Charles  B.  Dunbar  is  a  successful 
and  well  trained  lawyer.  On  its  Avay  to  the  United 
States  the  Commission  visited  Germany,  where  it 
was  well  received  and  officially  entertained  in  the 
capital  city,  Berlin.  On  its  arrival  in  New  York  in 
May,  Charles  Hall  Adams,  of  Boston,  Consul-General 
for  Liberia  in  this  country,  and  Booker  T.  Washing- 
ton received  them  and  attended  to  the  details  of  their 
visit.  They  spent  several  days  in  New  York  and 
visited  Tuskegee,  but,  of  course,  spent  most  of  their 

221 


222  LIBERIA. 

time  in  the  city  of  Washington.  They  were  received 
by  President  Roosevelt  on  the  10th  of  June,  had  sev- 
eral important  interviews  with  Secretary  Root,  and 
were  introduced  to  Secretary  Taft — just  before  the 
Republican  Convention  was  held  which  nominated 
him  for  the  presidency  of  the  United  States.  They 
were  everywhere  treated  with  distinguished  courtesy 
and  everywhere  made  a  remarkably  favorable  im- 
pression; the  newspapers  gave  considerable  space  to 
their  visit  and  quite  a  general  interest  was  aroused 
in  their  errand.  A  notable  reception  was  given  in 
their  honor  in  Washington  by  the  Negro  Business 
League.  Before  they  left  New  York,  Secretary  Taft 
had  received  his  nomination,  and  one  of  their  last 
official  acts  was  the  sending  of  a  letter  of  congratula- 
tion to  him. 

The  Commission  arrived  at  home  in  August,  1909. 
An  official  reception  was  given  them  on  the  18th  by 
President  Barclay.  The  address  of  welcome  was 
given  by  the  Secretary  of  State,  F.  E.  R.  Johnson, 
and  other  addresses  by  Acting  Mayor  Roberts  and 
Postmaster-General  Prout.  Replies  were  made  by 
Gibson,  Dossen,  Dunbar,  and  Faulkner.  It  is  sig- 
nificant that  in  these  addresses  more  emphasis  was 
laid  upon  the  subject  of  negro  education  in  the 
United  States  than  upon  other  matters.  Both  then 
and  while  in  this  country,  Vice-President  Dossen 
especially  emphasized  the  importance  of  immigra- 
tion ;  he  wants  600.000  negroes  from  America  to  settle 
in  Liberia,  and  claims  that  the  people  of  Liberia  feel 
that  the.v  are  holding  their  territory  in  trust  for  this 
mass  of  immigrants.  Music  and  refreshments  were 
supplied  and  a  speech  of  congratulation  given  by 
President  Barclay.  Of  course  nothing  definite  at  this 
time  could  be  said  in  regard  to  the  actual  results  of 
the  Commission's  visit;  no  one  knew  just  what  im- 
pression had  been  made  upon  our  Government;  no 
one  knew  just  what  to  expect  in  the  way  of  action. 

Our  Government,  however,  had  seriously  taken 
Liberia n  matters  under  advisement,  and  on  the  4th 


PROBLEM  S,  223 

of  March,  1909,  an  American  Commission  Mas  ap- 
pointed to  visit  Liberia  and  to  investigate  Liberian 
conditions.  The  Commissioners  were  Roland  P. 
Falkner,  George  Sale,  and  Emmett  J.  Scott,  with 
George  A.  Finch  as  secretary.  The  Commission 
sailed  on  April  24th,  1909,  and  arrived  in  Monrovia 
on  the  8th  of  May.  They  spent  thirty  days  in  Liberia 
and  Sierra  Leone.  The  work  they  had  to  do  was 
wisely  divided  up  among  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mission, in  order  to  permit  their  accomplishing  the 
utmost  in  the  short  time  at  their  disposition. 

Their  arrival  at  Liberia  was  hailed  with  joy.  In 
anticipation  of  their  coming  the  legislators  had  come 
from  all  the  counties  to  Monrovia  and  were  in  the 
capital  before  the  arrival  of  the  Commission.  The 
cruiser  Chester-  arrived  in  front  of  Monrovia  on  the 
morning  of  May  8th,  and  at  once  saluted  with  twenty- 
one  guns;  the  salute  w^as  returned  by  the  Liberians 
from  the  shore.  Ernest  Lyon,  the  American  Minis- 
ter, at  once  boarded  the  vessel.  When  he  returned, 
the  Attorney-General  with  a  party  of  citizens  went 
on  board  to  escort  the  Commissioners  to  the  shore. 
The  city  was  gaily  decorated.  The  Mayor,  Common 
Council,  and  a  crowd  of  citizens  met  the  Commis- 
sioners at  the  landing  where,  under  the  first  arch  of 
welcome,  the  acting  Mayor  made  an  address.  Mr. 
Falkner  replied  on  behalf  of  the  Commission.  Two 
companies  of  the  militia  escorted  the  Commission  up 
the  hill  to  the  second  arch,  where  Mrs.  Parker  ad- 
dressed them  on  behalf  of  the  Liberian  ladies.  Sale 
responded,  after  which  Mrs.  McGill  spoke  on  behalf 
of  the  county  of  Grand  Bassa.  At  the  third  arch 
Miss  Irene  A.  Gant  received  them  on  behalf  of  Sinoe 
County,  and  Miss  Matilda  Roberts  on  behalf  of  Mary- 
land County.  Passing  now  to  the  American  legation, 
they  w^ere  officially  received  by  the  American  Min- 
ister. Few  public  occasions  in  the  history  of  Mon- 
rovia equal  this  reception,  which  fairly  deserves  to 
be  called  a  popular  ovation.  On  the  11th,  President 
Barclay  offered  the  Commission  an  official  reception 


224  LIBERIA. 

at  which  the  President  and  the  Cabinet,  the  Com- 
mission and  attaches,  and  the  United  States  Minister 
with  his  Secretary  were  present.  In  the  afternoon 
of  the  12th,  a  general  reception  was  given  at  the 
Executive  Mansion.  During  their  stay  in  Africa,  the 
Commission  visited  Grand  Bassa  and  Maryland,  and 
in  both  regions  they  were  treated  with  distinguished 
courtesy.  The  report  of  the  Commission  sent  to  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  by  President 
Taft  on  March  25th,  1910,  w-as  an  exceptionally  good 
public  document.  The  Commission  recognized  the 
importance  of  the  work  entrusted  to  it  and  did  its 
work  with  thoroughness.  They  made  six  recommen- 
dations to  our  government.  They  were  as  follows: 
(1)  That  the  United  States  extend  its  aid  to  Liberia 
in  the  prompt  settlement  of  pending  boundary  dis- 
putes. (2)  That  the  United  States  enable  Liberia 
to  refund  its  debt  by  assuming  as  guarantee  for  the 
payment  of  obligations  under  such  arrangement  the 
control  and  collection  of  the  Liberian  customs.  (3) 
That  the  United  States  lend  its  assistance  to  the 
Liberian  Government  in  the  reform  of  its  internal 
finances.  (4)  That  the  United  States  lend  its  aid 
to  Liberia  in  organizing  and  drilling  an  adequate 
constabulary  or  frontier  police  force.  (5)  That  the 
United  States  should  establish  and  maintain  a  re- 
search station  in  Liberia.  (6)  That  the  United  States 
re-open  the  question  of  a  naval  coaling  station  in 
Liberia.  Some  of  these  recommendations  the  United 
States  has  carried  through.  She  has  made  the  loan 
necessary  for  the  refunding  of  the  public  debt ;  she 
is  lending  assistance  to  the  Liberian  Government  in 
the  reform  of  internal  finances ;  she  is  aiding  Liberia 
in  the  organization  and  drilling  of  her  frontier  force. 
These  are  good  things,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they 
will  prove  as  helpful  as  has  been  anticipated.  We 
should  help  Liberia,  and  help  her  handsomely;  she 
deserves  all  that  we  can  do  for  her.  We  must  be  careful, 
of  course,  in  our  assistance,  not  to  accustom  her  to  the 
notion  of  dependency.    IMuscle  can  only  be  developed 


PROBLEMS,  225 

in  a  body  by  the  exercise  of  that  body  itself.  No 
being  can  develop  muscle  for  another.  Liberia,  if 
she  is  to  prosper,  must  develop  energy,  force,  inde- 
pendence ;  she  needs  help  but  must  work  out  her  own 
salvation.  Exercise  to  be  valuable  must  not  be  a 
death  struggle;  we  must  protect  her  from  her  foes, 
but  we  must  insist  upon  her  self-development.  There 
are,  however,  still  many  things  that  we  can  do  for 
the  Republic  without  reducing  her  to  a  condition  of 
dependency  and  pauperization. 

We  should  energize  every  already  existing  bond 
between  us.  There  are  already  missions  established 
in  the  Republic;  these  should  be  handsomely  main- 
tained, without  forgetting  that  the  ultimate  end  is 
the  production  of  self-supporting  churches ;  the  needs 
of  missions  and  mission-schools  should  be  carefully 
examined  by  the  different  Boards  and  liberal  appro- 
priations made  to  meet  them ;  it  is  desirable  that  the 
Presbyterian  denomination — so  rich,  respectable,  and 
self-satisfied — should  really  look  after  its  "little 
flock  of  humble  black  folk"  with  their  splendid  op- 
portunity before  them.  The  Boards  which  hold  funds 
for  the  benefit  of  Liberia  College  should  seriously 
recognize  the  importance  of  their  responsibility ;  they 
should  investigate  with  care,  and  act  promptly  and 
liberally;  they  must  devise  some  method  of  more 
effective  co-operation  with  the  local  management  for 
gaining  the  great  ends  possible  by  combined  action. 
There  are  funds  in  the  United  States  intended  to  aid 
Liberia,  which  are  tied  up  and  have  been  tied  up  for 
many  years  through  some  unfortunate  condition  in 
the  terms  of  the  bequest;  such  funds,  if  possible, 
should  be  put  to  work;  if  they  are  actually  unavail- 
able, it  is  best  that  a  final  decision  be  reached,  and 
public  announcement  be  made  of  the  unfortunate 
fact;  it  is  better  that  Liberia  should  not  be  kept 
waiting  in  hope  of  aid  that  never  comes.  A  consid- 
erable interest  was  aroused  in  the  United  States  by 
the  visit  of  the  Commission  in  1908 ;  this  interest  was 

15. 


226  LIBERIA. 

shown  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day ;  it  is  greatly  to 
be  desired  that  the  American  people  should  be  kept 
constantly  informed  as  to  Liberia ;  information  should 
not  be  spasmodically  given  out,  but  there  should  be 
a  definite,  constant  spreading  of  facts  regarding  the 
Republic,  whose  heroic  struggle  deserves  our  firm  and 
steady  sympathy.  The  need  was  never  greater  for  a 
regular  line  of  shipping  between  the  two  Republics 
than  now;  this  has  been  already  sufficiently  con- 
sidered. It  would  be  a  fine  philanthropy  to  estab- 
lish and  conduct  such  a  line  of  communication  for 
a  period  of  time,  even  at  a  loss ;  in  the  long  run,  the 
line  would  lose  its  philanthropic  feature  and  become 
a  fairly  paying  business  proposition.  It  is  most  im- 
portant that  the  contact  between  the  two  nations  be 
increased;  Liberians  have  occasionally  come  to  us 
under  various  circumstances;  more  Americans  in 
course  of  time  visit  Liberia  than  the  public  generally 
knows;  every  opportunity  of  inviting  Liberians  to 
this  country  as  students,  delegates,  visitors,  business 
representatives,  should  be  encouraged ;  and  it  should 
become  a  simple,  natural,  and  frequent  thing  for 
Americans  to  visit  the  black  Republic.  Lastly,  our 
government  should  adopt  a  clear  and  definite  policy 
of  sympathy ;  if  we  make  it  well  understood  that  we 
look  upon  Liberia  as  related  to  us,  and  that  we  will 
permit  no  further  injustice,  we  need  have  no  fears 
of  being  involved  in  international  difficulties  on  her 
account;  the  cry  "hands  off"  will  be  sufficient.  Let 
us  quit  internationalizing  her  problems.  They  are 
justly  questions  between  us  and  her;  they  concern 
no  other  nation.  But  do  not  let  us  ever  think  of 
absorbing  the  Republic;  let  us  guarantee  her  in- 
dependence; we  do  not  wish  a  protectorate;  we 
have  too  many  different  kinds  of  national  relations 
now;  Alaska,  Hawaii,  Porto  Rico,  Cuba,  Santo  Do- 
mingo, Nicaragua,  and  the  Philippines  make  our 
governmental  policy  to-day  sufficiently  complex.  We 
want  no  more  new  and  strange  relations.    Liberia  is 


PROBLEMS.  227 

our  sister  uation^daughter,  if  you  please — and  very 
definitely  such.  She  is  brunette,  but  her  virtues  are 
our  virtues,  her  vices  are  our  vices.  Let  us  admit  and 
emphasize  the  kinship. 


REPRINTED  ARTICLES. 

THE  LIBERIAN  CRISIS. 
(Unity.     March  25,  1909.) 

In  closing  my  The  Truth  ahout  the  Congo,  I  said:  "If  it 
is  necessary  for  us  as  a  nation  to  look  for  African  adventure; 
if  to  give  a  strenuous  President  the  feeling  that  he  is  '  doing 
something '  we  must  meddle  in  the  affairs  of  the  Dark  Continent, 
there  is  a  district  where  we  might  intervene  with  more  of  reason 
and  consistency  and  grace  than  we  are  doing  by  going  to  the 
Congo.  We  once  established  on  African  soil,  whether  wisely  or 
not  I  do  not  intend  to  discuss,  a  free  republic  for  the  blacks. 
In  Liberia  we  have  an  American  enterprise,  pure  and  simple. 
It  has  not  been  a  great  success.  It  is  just  possible — though  I 
doubt  it — that  Liberia  would  at  several  times  have  profited  and 
been  advantaged  by  our  instruction  and  interest.  But  it  seema 
to  possess  little  interest  for  us.  Just  now,  like  the  Congo,  it 
is  attracting  British  attention.  Whether  it  has  large  or  little 
value,  whether  it  possesses  great  opportunities  or  not,  it  is  now 
a  center  of  interest  to  Great  Britain.  She  does  not  need  our 
help  in  pulling  chestnuts  from  the  fire  there,  and  there  has  been 
strange  silence  and  ignorance  in  this  country  regarding  it  as  a 
new  sphere  for  English  influence.  If  we  assist  England  in  ex- 
panding her  African  possessions  at  the  expense  of  the  Congo 
Free  State,  Liberia  will  be  the  next  fraction  of  Africa  to  suc- 
cumb to  English  rule.  England's  methods  of  procedure  are 
various.  It  might  be  a  useful  lesson  for  our  statesmen  and 
politicians  to  study  Liberia 's  prospects  with  care.  We  are  still 
young  in  the  business  of  grabbing  other  people's  lands.  Eng- 
land could  teach  us  many  lessons.  The  latest  one  may  well  be 
worthy  of  our  attention,  since,  in  a  certain  sense,  it  deals  with 
a  district  where  we  naturally  possess  an  interest. ' ' 

At  the  time,  these  suggestions  caused  some  surprise.  Amer- 
icans were  (and  are)  totally  ignorant  regarding  Liberia  and 
felt  that  my  remarks  were  due  to  prejudice.  I  have  no  preju- 
dice against  England,  from  which  my  ancestry  chiefly  came.  A 
few  months  have  proved  the  truth  of  my  predictions.  In  May 
last  a  Commission  appointed  by  the  Liberian  government  called 
upon  President  Eoosevelt  and  begged  the  intervention  of  the 
United  States  for  the  purpose  of  guaranteeing  independence 
and  "integrity  against   the  encroachments  of  powerful   Euro- 

229 


230  LIBERIA. 

pean  governments. ' '  Among  the  reasonable  ideas  urged  by 
this  Conunission  was  that  disputes  between  Liberia  and  France, 
Germany  and  England  should  be  settled  by  arbitration  and  not 
by  a  resort  to  force.  We  wisely  refused  to  establish  a  protect- 
orate over"  Liberia,  but  our  government  agreed  to  use  its  good 
offices  with  England,  France  and  Germany.  Considerable  corre- 
spondence seems  to  have  taken  place  and  some  interest  relative 
to  Liberia  has  been  aroused.  But  on  the  whole  no  serious 
progress  has  been  made  and  a  few  days  since  the  newspapers 
contained  the  following  item: 

' '  Washington,  D.  C,  Feb.  12. — Cable  advices  received  at  the 
state  department  today  indicate  that  a  climax  has  been  reached 
in  the  Liberian  situation.  Conditions  are  grave,  and  great  alarm 
is  felt  by  foreign  officials  in  Liberian  employ. 

"A  British  gunboat  has  arrived  to  afford  protection  to 
foreign  interests  and  a  company  of  soldiers  has  been  sent  from 
Sierra  Leone  to  the  eapitol  at  Monrovia  for  the  same  purpose. 
Apparently  great  despondency  is  entertained  as  to  the  ability 
of  the  government  to  maintain  itself  and  as  to  the  future  of 
Liberia  as  a  nation. ' ' 

The  notice  closed  with  these  words: 

"The  cable  today  called  attention  to  the  effort  of  the  state 
department,  inaugurated  by  Secretary  Eoot,  to  secure  an  appro- 
priation of  $20,000  to  enable  the  president  to  send  to  Liberia 
a  commission  with  a  view  to  reporting  recommendations  as  to 
the  specific  action  this  government  should  take  which  would 
constitute  the  most  effective  measures  of  relief.  Secretary  Root 
anticipated  the  development  of  conditions  which  would  menace 
seriously  the  future  of  Liberia,  which  was  established  as  a  direct 
result  of  the  action,  first,  of  American  citizens,  and,  secondly,  of 
the  government  of  the  United  States. ' ' 

What  can  we  do?  What  should  we  do?  First;  we  should 
notify  Great  Britain,  France  and  Germany  that  encroachment 
upon  Liberian  sovereignty  will  be  considered  an  unfriendly  act 
by  us;  that  coercion  ought  not  to  be  used  in  the  collection  of 
debts,  even  though  Liberia  did  not  take  part  in  the  Hague  Con- 
ference of  1907.  Second ;  we  should  use  our  good  offices  to  bring 
about  definite  arrangements  between  Liberia  and  the  European 
nations  for  arbitration  of  all  points  at  issue  between  them. 
Third;  we  should  under  no  circumstances  attempt  to  make  a 
model  government  for  her,  nor  should  we  insist  upon  reforms 
along  our  lines,  but  we  should  appoint  an  advisory  commission 
of  thoughtful  and  well-balanced  men,  who  shall  thoroughly  in- 
vestigate conditions  and  stand  ready  to  give  asked  advice  when 
needful  upon  points  of  importance.  This  commission  should  be 
retained  for  several  years  and  should  be  non-partisan.  So  much 
we  can  and  should  do. 


REPRINTED    ARTICLES.  231 

THE  NEEDS  OF  LIBERIA. 

(The  Open  Court.     March,  1913.) 

The  situation  of  Liberia  is  critical.  Her  long-troubling 
boundary  questions  with  Great  Britain  and  France  are  not  per- 
manently settled;  they  have  been  re-opened  and  both  countries 
are  pressing. 

We  did  well  to  come  to  her  financial  aid ;  but  we  did  badly  in 
needlessly  inflicting  upon  her  .an  expensive  and  complicated 
international  receivership  instead  of  an  economical,  simple  and 
national  one. 

Liberia's  crying  needs  are: 

a.  Training  of  her  native  frontier  force  to  protect  her 
boundaries  and  maintain  order  there; 

fe.  Development  of  existing  frails,  with  their  ultimate  trans- 
formation into  Eoads  and  railroad  beds; 

0.  Eestoration  and  development  of  agriculture — now 
neglected ; 

d.  Education,  especially  along  lines  of  manual  and  tech- 
nical training. 

Liberia's  greatest  asset  is  her  native  population;  only  by 
imbuing  it  with  the  feeling  of  common  interest  and  by  securing 
its  hearty  co-operation  can  the  government  of  Africa 's  only 
republic  hope  to  maintain  itself  and  prosper. 

A  SOJOURNER  IN  LIBERIA. 

{The  Spirit  of  Missions.  April,  1913.) 

Anxious  to  see  all  possible  of  Liberia,  we  gladly  accepted 
Bishop  Ferguson's  invitation  to  visit  Bromley  and  to  inspect 
the  work  done  at  the  Julia  C.  Emery  Hall.  On  reaching  the 
landing  at  Monrovia  at  8  a.  m.  we  found  the  mission  steamer, 
the  Johii  Payne,  ready.  Our  party  consisted  of  ex-President 
Barclay,  ex-Postmaster-General  Blount,  Justice  T.  McCants 
Stewart  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Major  Young,  U.  S.  A.,  military 
attache  of  the  American  Legation,  Mayor  Johnson,  the  Eev. 
Mr.  Cassell  and  Bishop  Ferguson — all  residents  of  Liberia — 
my  photographer  and  myself.  He  and  I  were  the  only  white 
men.  Of  the  colored  men  some  Avere  born  in  Liberia,  others  in 
the  United  States — North  and  South — one  at  least  in  the  British 
West  Indies.  Ex-President  Arthur  Barclay  is  by  many  consid- 
ered to  be  the  ablest  man  of  Liberia ;  he  has  had  a  wide  experi- 
ence and  has  gained  exceptional  knowledge  of  Liberian  needs 
and  problems.  Mayor  Johnson  is  one  of  the  sons  of  the  late 
President  Johnson,  who  was  the  first  "son  of  the  soil"  to  oc- 
cupy the  presidential  chair  of  the  negro  republic.  Bishop 
Ferguson,  born  in  South  Carolina,  has  lived  so  many  years  in 
Cape  Palmas  and  Monrovia  that  no  one  ever  thinks  of  him  as 


232  LIBERIA. 

aught  but  a  Liberian.  He  is  a  man  of  energy  and  ideas  and 
his  work  speaks  for  his  efficiency.  We  were  soon  off,  and  for 
three  hours  steamed  up  the  river,  a  typical,  tropical  African 
stream.  A  dense  tangle  of  mangroves  extends  far  out  from  the 
shore  on  both  sides,  over  the  water,  completely  concealing  the 
actual  land;  the  trunks  rise  from  pyramids  of  exposed  roots; 
from  the  branches,  slender  shoots,  round-tipped,  strike  vertically 
down,  penetrate  the  water,  force  their  way  into  the  soft,  oozy 
mud  of  the  river  bottom,  take  root  and  aid  in  spreading  the 
tangled  growth  still  further  out-  over  the  water.  Here  and  there 
straight  gashes  are  cut  into  this  mass  of  crowded  trees  to  serve 
as  landing-channels  for  native  canoes.  The  first  part  of  our 
journey  was  up  a  branch  stream,  the  St.  Paul's  Eiver  branching 
near  its  mouth  and  entering  the  sea  by  more  than  the  single 
outlet.  As  we  approached  the  main  river,  the  mangrove  thicket 
thinned,  and  the  most  striking  feature  in  the  vegetation  was 
the  dragon-palm.  It,  too,  rises  from  a  pyranridal  mass  of  ex- 
posed roots,  but  in  form  and  foliage  it  is  totally  unlike  the  man- 
grove; its  long  narrow  leaves  lead  to  its  being  often  called 
the  sword-palm.  Here  we  could  often  look  back  over  the  land, 
and  saw  oil-palms  with  their  delicate,  graceful  crowns  outlined 
against  the  blue  sky — truly  blue  sky,  for  by  October  15  the 
period  of  rains  is  practically  over.  We  had  passed  settlements, 
here  and  there,  upon  the  way ;  single  houses  of  ' '  Liberians, ' '  or 
little  clusters  of  "native"  huts;  New  Georgia,  on  our  right, 
is  quite  a  village  but  seems  to  bear  an  indifferent  reputation — 
due  perhaps  to  its  history;  it  was  settled  with  slaves  rescued 
from  slaving-vessels  and  such  slaves  were  rarely  considered  as 
equals,  in  the  old  days,  by  the  colonists. 

When  we  reached  the  main  river,  the  whole  character  of  the 
scenery  changed.  The  river  itself  was  wider;  the  banks  were 
cleaner  and  the  flat  land  stood  higher;  the  mangrove  swamps 
disappeared ;  plantations  showing  considerable  attention  were 
to  be  seen  here  and  there.  While  we  had  chatted  and  viewed 
the  scene  the  Bishop  had  not  been  idle,  and  the  smiling  black 
boy  now  passed  an  abundant  supply  of  sandwiches  and  sliced 
cake,  daintily  wrapped  in  paper  and  tied  with  narrow  ribbons, 
all  prepared  beforehand  by  Mrs.  Ferguson.  Served  with  lemon 
and  strawberry  soda-water  they  were  a  welcome  refreshment. 

We  had  been  so  fully  occupied  that  we  had  hardly  noticed 
that  three  hours  had  passed  when  we  saw  Bromley  ahead.  The 
building  stands  on  a  level  terrace  well  above  the  river.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  largest  in  Liberia;  whether  so  or  not,  it  is  a 
spacious,  plain,  well-built  construction,  admirably  adapted  to' 
its  purpose.  Its  architect  and  master  builder,  Mr.  Scott,  met 
us  at  the  landing.  He  is  a  native  of  pure  blood,  a  Grebo  from 
Cape  Palmas  district.  He  has  never  been  outside  of  Liberia 
and  has  had  to  gain  his  knowledge  and  experience  as  he  best 
could.  He  has  had  correspondence  instruction  from  an  Ameri- 
can school  and  finds  it  of  advantage. 


REPRINTED     ARTICLES.  233 

The  building  is  known  as  the  Julia  C.  Emery  Hall  and  serves 
as  a  girls '  school.  The  parlor  is  a  fine  room  and  upon  its  walls 
are  displayed  interesting  cuts,  portraits  and  documents,  all 
relative  to  national,  racial  and  mission  history.  We  were  shown 
through  the  building  from  tower — whence  a  splendid  view  over 
the  river  is  to  be  had — to  cellar.  It  is  well  equipped — dormi- 
tories, school  rooms,  chapel,  dining  room,  kitchen,  washrooms, 
storerooms — all  suitable  and  neat  and  clean.  Seventy  girls  are 
in  attendance.  There  are  not  beds  for  all  the  children,  perhaps 
not  for  more  than  half  of  them ;  half  of  the  children  sleep  upon 
the  floor  on  mats.  This  is  no  special  hardship,  as  they  are 
used  to  it;  in  my  own  opinion  they  are  quite  as  well  off  without 
beds. 

The  girls  form  two  groups — the  large  girls  dressed  in  blue 
and  white  and  the  little  girls  dressed  in  pink  and  white.  They 
seem  neat  and  happy.  They  rendered  a  program  for  us  which 
would  have  done  credit  to  any  teaching  here  at  home: 

Singing— "He  Who  Safely  Keepeth" .School 

Recitation — ' '  The  Burden  "    Miss  Jahlamae 

Singing — ' '  Sweet  and  Low  "    

Misses  Nichols,  Gibson,  Tucker,  Wisner 

Dialogue — ' '  Patience  "   A  class 

Singing — ' '  Wider  Than  the  Ocean  "   School 

Eecitation — ' '  The  Echo  "    A  class 

Recitation — ' '  The  Hurry  Order  "   Miss  Wood 

Singing — ' '  Those  Eternal  Bowers  "   School 

Recitation — ' '  Genesis,  Chap.  XLIX  "  A  class 

Recitation — ' '  The   Chambered   Nautilus  " Miss  Wright 

Recitation — ' '  Jephtha  's   Daughter  " Miss   Muhlenberg 

Singing—' '  The  Whole  Wide  World  "   School 

It  is  particularly  interesting  to  see  the  harmony  and  friend- 
ship here.  Some  of  the  girls  are  Liberians,  but  there  are  also 
native  girls  from  various  parts  of  the  country  and  from  various 
tribes — Golas,  Krus,  Grebos.  We  went  to  the  dining  room, 
which  had  been  cleared,  and  the  girls  went  through  with  a  calis- 
thenic  drill,  which  was  beautifully  rendered.  Mrs.  Moort  is  in 
charge  of  the  school  and  deserves  much  credit  for  its  satisfac- 
tory condition.  After  this  drill  was  over  we  sat  down  to  a 
table  loaded  with  good  things,  and  some  of  the  larger  girls  aided 
in  the  serving.  One  of  the  aims  of  the  school  is  to  teach  work 
and  housekeeping.  The  school  property  includes  two  hundred 
acres  of  land,  which  will  supply  much  of  the  food  needed  in 
school  and  provide  opportunity  for  instruction  in  gardening. 

The  Bishop  stated  that  we  must  not  tarry,  as  we  were  ex- 
pected at  Clay- Ashland.  A  half  hour  by  steamer  brought  us  to 
its  landing,  where  the  resident  clergyman,  Mr.  Cooper,  son-in- 
law  of  Bishop  Ferguson,  met  us.  We  walked  up  through  a 
straggling  settlement  to  the  little  church,  near  which  a  sign  in 
brilliant  lettering  announced  "Welcome."  Here  we  turned  to 
the  right  and  in  a  moment  reached  Alexander  Crummell  Hall, 


234  LIBERIA. 

in  construction.  Here  another  brilliant  lettering  proclaimed 
' '  A  Hearty  Welcome  to  You. ' '  The  building  is  to  be  of  wood 
with  corrugated  iron  roofing;  it  is  not  yet  covered  in,  but  prom- 
ises to  be  a  fine  and  suitable  structure.  Only  the  side  verandah 
was  usable;  it  was  covered  in  and  adorned  with  palms  in  honor 
of  the  occasion.  The  boys  and  young  men  were  seated  on  two 
lines  of  benches  facing,  between  which  we  walked  up  to  the 
speaker's  table.  There  were  perhaps  forty  students  present. 
They  carried  through  a  little  program — reading,  singing  and 
addresses,  all  carried  through  with  fine  swing  and  vigor.  The 
address  of  welcome  was  given  in  good  English  by  a  Bassa  boy. 
In  some  interesting  and  appropriate  remarks  Major  Young 
spoke  to  the  boys  of  the  life  and  lesson  of  Alexander  Crummell, 
in  whose  honor  the  hall  was  named  and  whom  he  himself  had 
known.  It  was  now  well  on  in  the  afternoon  and  time  for  us 
to  start  on  our  return  journey.  This  was  rapidly  accomplished 
as  the  current  was  in  our  favor  and  we  tied  up  at  the  landing 
in  Monrovia  at  6 :  30,  with  stars  twinkling  in  the  sky  above  us 
and  town  lights  reflected  in  the  water  below. 

Bishop  Ferguson  had  invited  me  to  see  the  Kru  service  on 
a  Sunday  afternoon.  Two  Kru  men  called  to  escort  me  to  the 
little  chapel,  which  is  situated  on  a  rocky  slope  overhanging 
Krutown.  The  native  settlement  is  at  the  waterside,  upon  the 
low  sandy  beach;  its  population,  houses  and  life  are  purely 
native.  Down  there  they  speak  Kru ;  men  and  boys  all  know 
English ;  some  women  and  girls  do.  It  is  a  hardy,  vigorous,  en- 
ergetic population.  The  men  are  water  folk;  they  are  splendid 
canoe  men ;  they  are  the  main  dependence  of  the  steamers,  which 
they  serve  as  crews  and  wharfingers.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
little  chapel  we  found  it  crowded;  more  than  a  hundred  men, 
women  and  children  were  assembled.  The  women  were  a  sight 
for  tired  eyes,  with  their  brilliant  wrappings,  gay  head  bands 
and  ring-loaded  fingers.  Few  Liberians  were  present — Bishop 
and  Mrs.  Ferguson,  Superintendent  Bright  and  a  few  teachers. 
Pastor  McKrae  is  native — but  a  Grebo,  not  a  Kru.  The  two 
tribes  are  related  and  their  languages  are  very  similar.  I  was 
warmly  welcomed  and  an  interesting  program  of  singing  and 
recitation  was  carried  out — all  in  Kru  except  the  Bishop 's  intro- 
duction and  my  own  remarks,  which  were  interpreted  from 
English  into  Kru  as  we  spoke.  These  people  are  enthusiastic; 
they  are  interested  in  their  chapel  and  contribute  to  its  support ; 
they  are  crowded  in  their  present  quarters  and  are  about  to 
raise  a  larger  and  finer  building. 

I  had  intended  to  see  the  work  at  Cape  Palmas,  but  it  was 
impossible  for  me  to  go  there.  For  that  at  Bromley,  Clay- 
Ashland  and  Kru  chapel  I  have  only  words  of  praise.  My  own 
opinion  is  that  Liberia 's  greatest  asset  is  the  native.  He  exists 
in  a  score  of  independent  tribes  and  counts  a  million  souls.  If 
the  little  black  republic  is  to  hold  its  own,  if  it  is  to  remain  a 
nation  among  nations,  if  it  is  to  lead  the  way  to  African  re- 


REPRINTED     ARTICLES.  235 

demption,  there  must  be  a  mutual  realization  by  Liberians  and 
Natives  of  their  common  interest,  and  a  hearty  co-operation. 
The  burden  is  too  heavy  for  the  Liberian  alone.  In  Bishop 
Ferguson's  work  there  is  the  nearest  approach  to  tolerance, 
union,  brotherhood  and  mutual  helpfulness  seen  during  my 
expedition. 

LIBERIA,  THE  HOPE  OP  THE  DARK 
CONTINENT. 

(Unity.     March  20,  1913.) 

An  address  given  at  All  Souls  Church,  Abraham  Lincoln 
Centre,  Chicago,  March  9,  1913.  As  this  contains  little  that 
is  not  contained  in  the  next  item,  and  nothing  but  tvhat 
occurs  in  the  body  of  the  book,  it  is  not  reprinted  here. 

WHAT  LIBERIA  NEEDS. 
(The  Independent.     April  3,  1913.) 

In  1905  I  sailed  from  Antwerp  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kongo 
River.  When  we  reached  Freetown,  Sierra  Leone,  we  spent  sev- 
eral hours  on  shore.  On  returning  to  the  steamer  we  found  all 
greatly  changed;  the  white  crew  was  laid  off  and  the  steamer 
was  swarming  with  black  boys  who  had  been  taken  on  to  per- 
form the  heavy  work  of  the  vessel  so  long  as  she  should  be  in 
the  hot  country.  In  the  morning  I  found  that  these  black  boys 
were  Krumen  from  Liberia;  they  pointed  out  the  shores  of 
their  country  as  we  sailed  by  and  told  me  of  their  people  and 
their  life.  The  captain  of  our  steamer  was  an  Englishman;  he 
took  great  satisfaction  in  telling  stories  which  showed  his  con- 
tempt for  the  little  black  republic  and  its  rulers.  It  was  his 
custom  to  laugh  at  their  port  regulations,  to  evade  their  customs 
laws,  to  insult  their  officers.  Months  later,  in  returning  from 
the  Kongo  Free  State,  I  sat  at  table  next  to  a  ship 's  officer 
who  was  never  tired  of  telling  of  Sir  Harry  Johnston's  great 
scheme  of  Liberian  exploitation;  matters  were  all  arranged  for 
Britain  to  gain  the  advantage  which  the  wealth  of  Liberia 
offers.  When  we  reached  London,  I  found  the  windows  of  book 
stores  filled  with  Sir  Harry's  great  work  upon  Liberia,  and 
considerable  public  interest  in  the  subject. 

It  was  these  three  things  which  turned  my  interest  toward 
Liberia  and  led  me  to  think  of  making  an  expedition  to  that 
country.  I  wanted  to  see  the  Kru  boys  at  home;  I  wanted  to 
see  just  how  much  of  a  failure  the  black  republic  is;  I  wanted 
to  see  how  the  English  plans  of  exploitation  worked  out.  It 
was,  however,  several  years  before  I  was  able  to  make  that 


236  LIBERIA. 

journey.  I  have  just  returned  and  found  much  more  of  interest 
than  I  anticipated. 

It  is  now  almost  one  hundred  years  since  the  American  Col- 
onization Society  was  established  and  sent  its  first  freed  negro 
settlers  to  the  West  Coast  of  Africa;  it  is  almost  seventy  years 
since,  in  1847,  the  society  severed  its  relation  with  the  colonists 
and  urged  them  to  establish  an  independent  form  of  govern- 
ment. We  have  no  right  to  take  any  great  amount  of  credit  to 
ourselves  for  the  original  establishment;  it  was  less  from 
philanthropy  or  altruism  than  from  selfishness  that  we  began 
the  colony;  it  was  because  we  did  not  want  freed  blacks  living 
among  white  Americans  that  we  sent  them  to  Africa.  There 
have  been  various  times  during  the  period  of  Liberia's  history 
when  we  might  have  helped  her  greatly;  we  have  never  quite 
forgotten  our  obligations,  but  we  have  never  done  all  that  we 
might  for  her  benefit  and  profit. 

It  is  not  fair  to  establish  a  direct  comparison  between 
Liberia  and  any  European  colony  upon  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa.  It  is  not  just,  for  instance,  to  take  Dakar  or  Free- 
town and  compare  them  with  Monrovia.  Senegal  and  Sierra 
Leone  have  had  great  advantages  which  have  been  lacking  in 
Liberia.  Those  colonies  have  had  the  constant  aid  and  sym- 
pathy of  a  mother  country;  they  have  been  developed  vcith  the 
aid  of  vast  home  capital;  they  have  had  the  protection  of  well 
organized  armies  against  internal  foes  and  external  aggression; 
they  have  had  chosen  men  sent  out  as  governors  who  have  given 
them  advice,  encouragement,  instruction.  Liberia  has  had  to 
stand  alone;  her  population  was  largely  ignorant  persons,  de- 
spised, recently  emerged  from  slavery;  she  has  had  no  interest 
of  a  mother  country ;  she  has  had  no  capital  with  which  to  push 
development ;  she  has  had  no  means  of  protection  against  native 
tribes  or  crowding  neighbors ;  she  has  had  to  train  governors 
from  her  own  population,  who  have  had  to  learn  the  business  of 
government  through  personal  experience.  When  this  marked 
difference  in  opportunity  and  material  is  realized,  the  wonder 
is  that  Liberia  has  been  able  to  make  any  real  achievement. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  while  the  direct  comparison  is  most  unjust, 
it  can  be  made  without  serious  discredit  to  Liberia.  The  stand- 
ard of  living,  the  average  comfort,  the  construction  of  houses 
and  other  buildings  in  Liberia,  falls  little  short  of  those  in 
Freetown,  if  at  all;  of  course,  when  it  comes  to  public  enter- 
prises— harbor  improvements,  governmental  offices,  etc. — the 
European  colony  has  notable  advantage.  In  reality,  Liberian 
achievement  is  marvelous  in  the  face  of  all  the  difficulties  with 
which  the  country  has  had  to  contend.  Far  from  being  a  dismal 
failure,  Liberia  has  proved  an  astonishing  success.  For  more 
than  sixty  years  her  officers  have  been  pitted  against  the  skilled 
politicians  of  European  countries;  they  have  had  to  fight  in 
diplomatic  warfare  with  Great  Britain,  France  and  Germany. 
The  wonder  is  that  she  was  not  long  since  wiped  off  the  map. 


REPRINTED     ARTICLES.  237 

In  1908.  a  commission  of  Liberians  was  sent  to  beg  assistance 
from  the  fnited  States.  Through  a  period  of  jears  she  had 
lost  land,  first  to  Great  Britain,  then  to  France,  both  of  which 
own  adjacent  territory:  her  commerce  had  been  hampered  by 
British  schemers  who  desired  to  prevent  her  development  untU 
they  themselves  should  control  its  results;  she  had  been  forced 
twice  to  borrow  money  from  Great  Britain — and  both  times  had 
paid  heavUy  for  soant  accommodation.  Bobbed  of  land,  crip- 
pled in  development,  heavily  in  debt  to  a  pressing  creditor,  a 
crisis  had  t>een  reached  in  her  affairs.  The  United  States  heard 
the  appeal  and  an?were<J :  a  commission  of  investigation  visited 
Liberia  and  made  a  definite  report,  advising  certain  lines  of  aid. 
We  have  acted  upon  some  of  their  recommendations.  We  have 
expressed  to  Great  Britain.  Grermany  and  France  our  special 
interest  in  Liberian  affairs:  we  have  lent  her  colored  officers 
to  aid  in  training  a  native  force :  we  have  come  to  her  financial 
relief,  paying  her  past  debts  and  taking  over  the  administration 
of  her  customs  houses. 

The  popiJation  of  Liberia  consists  of  three  main  elements: 
there  are  about  12.000  civilized  and  Christian  blacks,  descend- 
ants of  American  freed  negroes,  whom  we  may  call  Americo- 
Liberians.  or  Liberians  proper ;  there  are  perhaps  30.000  coast 
natives,  who  speak  English  and  have  come  into  frequent  contact 
with  Liberians  and  the  outside  world:  there  are  perhaps  one 
million  ' '  natives, ' '  living  in  the  interior.  ' '  bush  niggers. ' '  most 
of  whom  speak  only  native  tongues  and  are  pagan  in  religion. 
The  Liberians  live  in  a  few  settlements  near  the  coast,  or  along 
the  rivers,  a  few  miles  inland.  The  natives  consist  of  a  S€ore 
or  more  of  different  tribes,  living  in  little  villages,  each  tribe 
having  its  own  language,  its  independent  chiefs,  its  characteris- 
tic life  and  customs.  Sir  Harry  Johnston  says  that  the  interior 
of  Liberia  is  the  least  known  part  of  Africa.  Many  of  these 
native  tribes  still  practice  cannibalism,  all  of  them  are  polyg- 
amist,  and  domestic  slavery  exists  among  them.  The  relation 
between  them  and  the  Liberians  proper  is  almost  "(?.  The  area 
of  Liberia  even  now  is  larger  than  the  State  of  Ohio  and  not 
much  less  than  that  of  Pennsylvania.  If  we  were  to  take  the 
town  of  Bellaire.  Ohio,  and  divide  its  little  population  into  about 
a  dozen  towns  along  the  Ohio  Eiver.  and  were  then  to  sprinkle 
the  whole  State  of  Ohio  with  villages  of  Indians,  totaling  one 
million,  speaking  a  score  of  different  dialects,  and  recognizing 
no  control  except  that  of  their  local  chiefs,  we  should  have 
something  analogous  to  the  Liberian  situation.  If,  now.  this 
population  of  Bellaire  were  to  fisrure  as  an  independent  nation 
among  the  world  "s  governments,  think  what  a  burden  this  would 
entail  upon  it.  Liberia  elects  a  President,  Vice-President, 
Senators  and  Representatives;  its  President  has  a  Cabinet,  each 
member  with  his  own  department  of  government ;  it  maintains 
a  Supreme  Court,  with  a  bench  of  judges:  it  has  consuls,  some 
with  diplomatic  powers,  in  many  of  the  nations  of  the  world. 


238  LIBERIA. 

Would  we  be  able  in  any  town  of  12,000  people  in  the  Uniterl 
States  to  find  such  a  corps  of  men  of  competence?  As  a  nation, 
with  privileges  and  obligations,  Liberia  must  not  only  maintain 
this  national  government,  but  it  must  keep  order  over  its  whole 
area  and  prevent  its  million  bush  natives  from  troubling  its 
neighbors.  It  is  on  the  plea  that  Liberia  is  incapable  of  main- 
taining order  that  France  and  Great  Britain  are  constantly 
crowding  upon  her  frontiers ;  it  is  a  fact  that  to  prevent  aggres- 
sion from  outside  she  must  maintain  order  within. 

We  must  not  imagine  that  neighborly  aggression  has  ceased 
because  we  spoke.  New  boundary  questions  have  lately  arisen, 
both  with  Great  Britain  and  France,  and  it  looks  as  if  they  were 
getting  ready  to  demand  a  new  slice  of  territory.  One  of  the 
crying  needs  of  Liberia  is  to  have  a  native  frontier  force,  well 
drilled,  ready  to  protect  and  maintain  order  at  her  boundary. 
Such  a  force  has  been  organized ;  it  has  been  in  existence  for 
several  years;  just  at  present  it  is  being  drilled  under  three 
young  colored  officers  whom  we  have  sent  within  the  past  year 
to  Monrovia — Major  Ballard,  Captain  Brown  and  Captain  New- 
ton. These  men  now  bear  commissions  from  the  Liberian  Gov- 
ernment and  are  paid  by  it.  The  force  will  be  developed  to  600 
soldiers ;  it  is  rather  easy  to  collect  them ;  they  come  from  many 
of  the  interior  tribes  and,  when  they  are  enlisted,  know  no 
English;  they  seem  to  enjoy  the  life  of  soldiers  and  rapidly  im- 
prove until  in  their  conduct  and  drilling  they  present  a  credit- 
able appearance.  When  actually  disciplined,  so  that  they  will 
not  loot  or  cause  distress  when  marching  through  a  district  of 
non.-combatants,  they  should  be  a  great  advantage  to  the  nation. 
Unfortunately,  the  Liberian  Government  is  frequently  in  finan- 
cial difficulties  and  the  pay  of  these  soldiers  falls  into  arrears. 
There  is  always  serious  danger  that,  under  such  circumstances, 
the  discontented  force  may  arise  against  the  Government  and 
cause  difficulties. 

We  did  well  to  come  to  the  financial  relief  of  Liberia,  but 
we  did  badly  in  the  details  of  our  method.  The  total  debts 
were  about  $1,300,000:  we  arranged  for  a  loan  to  her  of 
$1,700,000;  this  would  enable  her  to  pay  off  all  obligations,  to 
have  some  ready  funds  left  over,  and  to  have  a  single,  friendly 
creditor.  Before  securing  this  loan  we  insisted  upon  a  receiver- 
ship. It  would  have  been  a  simple  matter  for  us  to  have  simply 
appointed  a  receiver  of  customs  and  leave  the  administration  of 
affairs  in  his  hands,  as  we  did  in  Santo  Domingo.  Had  we  done 
so,  it  is  unlikely  that  any  other  nation  would  have  found  fault; 
if  any  nation  should  have  criticised  the  action,  we  could  with 
consistency  insist  that  we  stand  in  a  peculiar  relation  to  Liberia 
and  that  the  loan  is  too  small  to  warrant  great  expense  in  the 
handling  of  the  business  connected  with  it.  What  we  really  did 
was  to  recognize  fictitious  interests  of  other  nations  in  the  mat- 
ter; we  arranged  for  an  international  receivership;  instead  of 
one  American  receiver  we  proposed  four  receivers — American, 


REPRINTED    ARTICLES.  239 

French,  English,  German.  Inasmuch  as  the  impoverished  Gov- 
ernment has  to  pay  handsome  salaries  to  all  four,  the  plan  was 
anything  but  economical ;  the  dangers  of  difficulty  and  disagree- 
ment between  the  members  of  this  international  receivership 
are  considerable.  Surely  instead  of  inflicting  an  expensive  and 
complicated  international  receivership  upon  the  country,  we 
should  have  arranged  for  an  economical,  simple  national 
receiver. 

There  is  no  question  that  Liberia  has  great  natural  wealth; 
her  resources  are  yet  almost  untouched;  she  is  the  only  part  of 
the  whole  West  Coast  where  large  returns  are  certain  for  small 
investment.  In  order  to  secure  her  wealth  of  products,  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  that  trails  be  opened  up  through  the  inte- 
rior. Trails,  of  course,  already  exist,  but  under  present  condi- 
tions they  are  frequently  intentionally  neglected;  little  chiefs 
do  not  want  too  easy  contact  with  the  outside  world.  It  is 
absolutely  necessary,  if  Liberia  is  to  advance,  that  the  good  will 
of  the  chiefs  shall  be  secured  and  that  all  trails  shall  be  kept 
open.  In  no  other  way  can  the  produce  of  the  forests  find  its 
way  down  to  the  coast.  Foot  trails,  of  course,  are  of  limited 
utility,  and  as  rapidly  as  they  are  improved  they  should  become 
actual  roads,  presumably  to  be  themselves  developed  in  time 
into  roadbeds  for  light  railroads.  It  is  only  by  the  improve- 
ment of  means  of  transportation  that  the  Liberian  Government 
can  hope  to  increase  its  income,  which  comes  almost  entirely 
from  trade. 

For  the  present,  and  undoubtedly  for  some  time  to  come,  the 
chief  source  of  income  for  the  country  must  be  by  trade  in 
natural  products,  collected  in  the  forests.  It  is  time,  however, 
that  serious  effort  should  be  made  to  develop  the  actual  agri- 
cultural opportunities  of  Liberia.  With  a  rich  soil,  abundant 
rainfall,  tropical  temperature,  vegetation  flourishes.  Liberia 
should  produce  vast  quantities  of  rice,  corn,  cotton,  sugar,  sweet 
potatoes,  yams,  bananas,  plantains,  ginger,  coffee,  cocoa,  pine- 
apples and  other  tropical  fruits.  There  is  no  reason  why  in 
many  parts  of  the  country  cattle,  goats  and  sheep  should  not  be 
raised  in  quantities.  At  present,  a  very  large  amount  of  food- 
stuffs is  introduced  from  the  outside  world;  fresh  meat  is  to 
be  had  only  when  steamers  pass ;  rice,  even — of  which  the  natives 
raise  quantities — is  imported.  Formerly  considerable  coffee 
was  exported;  the  coffee  tree  grows  wild  and  is  probably  a 
native  of  the  country,  and  Liberian  coffee  has  a  fair  reputation 
in  the  foreign  market ;  at  present,  very  little  is  exported.  It  is 
curious  that  agriculture  has  never  been  a  favorite  occupation 
with  the  people.  As  long  ago  as  1826  and  1827  the  famous  agent 
of  the  colony,  Jehudi  Ashmun,  complained  bitterly  that  the 
people  all  desired  to  trade  instead  of  to  practice  hand  labor  and 
develop  agriculture.  It  is  certain  that  if  it  is  to  be  permanently 
prosperous,  Liberia  must  encourage  agricultural  pursuits.  It  was 
natural  enough  that  freed  slaves  should  look  upon  manual  trades 


240  LIBERIA. 

and  field  labor  as  contemptible;  that  they  should  look  upon 
barter  and  trade  as  desirable.  Unfortunately,  at  the  time  of 
colonization  it  was  easy  for  men  to  trade.  This  dislike  for 
actual  labor  continues  to  the  present  day;  it  is  possible  to  hire 
bush  natives  to  do  the  absolutely  necessary  heavy  labor  very 
cheaply.  In  Liberian  houses  great  numbers  of  native  servants 
are  employed.  Trade  and  politics  absorb  the  thought  and  time 
of  the  best  men  in  the  community.  It  is  going  to  be  a  difficult 
task  to  place  agriculture  and  hand  labor  upon  a  proper  footing, 
but  it  must  be  done  and  soon. 

We  must  not  expect  much  more  in  the  direction  of  education 
than  we  would  find  in  our  own  country  towns  of  six  or  seven 
thousand  people.  There  are  actually  not  many  schools  in  the 
republic.  The  superintendent  of  education  is  a  member  of  the 
Cabinet.  The  present  incumbent  is  a  native — a  Bassa.  He  has 
general  supervision  of  some  ninety-one  schools,  in  which  number 
night  schools  and  mission  schools  are  included.  The  highest 
institution  of  public  education  is  Liberia  College,  at  Monrovia. 
It  has  done  good  work  and  most  of  the  men  of  prominence  in 
the  Government  to-day  are  graduates  from  it.  It  has,  however, 
little  more  than  the  teaching  force  and  equipment  of  a  high 
school  in  one  of  our  smaller  towTis.  It  needs  strengthening  in 
every  way.  New  schools  should  be  established,  especially  in  the 
country  among  the  native  tribes,  and  special  schools  of  agricul- 
ture and  manual  training  are  a  crying  need.  President  Howard, 
in  his  inaugural  address  in  1912,  recognized  the  necessity  of 
prompt  development  in  education  and  agriculture.  Besides 
Liberia  College,  there  is  in  Monrovia  the  College  of  West  Africa. 
This  is  a  Methodist  mission  school,  doing  an  excellent  work  for 
both  Liberian  and  native  students.  There  are  also  important 
Episcopal  schools  on  the  St.  Paul's  Eiver,  and  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Cape  Palmas. 

The  President  of  the  republic  was  kind  enough  to  give  a 
reception  in  my  honor.  On  that  occasion  I  was  asked  to  make  a 
few  remarks  regarding  Liberia.  I  stated  that  in  my  opinion 
Liberia's  greatest  asset  is  her  native  population.  Twelve  thou- 
sand people,  no  matter  how  inerested,  wise  and  industrious, 
cannot  possibly  carry  the  entire  burden.  If  Liberia  is  to  prosper 
in  the  future,  it  can  only  be  because  the  Liberians  secure  the 
hearty  cooperation  and  friendly  feeling  of  the  million  natives. 
If  they  can  be  shown  that  their  interest  and  development  are  to 
be  gained  only  through  friendship  to  and  recognition  of  the 
Government,  the  prosperity  and  success  of  Liberia  may  be 
secured  and  her  independence  maintained. 


REPRINTED     ARTICLES.  241 

SHOULD  THE  AFRICAN  MISSION  BE 
ABANDONED. 

{The  Spirit  of  Missions.     August,  1913.) 

The  development  of  the  Church  mission  in  Liberia  has  been 
most  encouraging.  It  began  in  March,  1836,  when  James  M. 
Thompson,  a  colored  man,  opened  a  mission  school  at  Mount 
Vaughan  with  seven  native  children.  ■  It  has  grown  until,  in 
his  last  report,  Bishop  Ferguson  stated  that  there  were  26 
clergymen,  8  candidates  for  holy  orders,  2  postulants,  25  lay 
teachers,  and  46  catechists  and  teachers.  During  the  year  of 
1912,  242  children  and  237  adults  had  been  baptized — 423  of 
them  being  converts  from  heathenism.  During  the  year  there 
were  165  confirmations.  The  grand  total  of  baptisms  to  date 
was  9,565;  the  total  of  confirmations,  4,856.  The  number  of 
present  communicants  was  2,404,  of  which  two-thirds  were 
natives.  The  estimated  value  of  buildings  belonging  to  the 
mission  was  $121,250;  22  day  schools,  19  boarding  schools  and 
38  Sunday  schools  was  conducted;  1,210  day-school  pupils,  643 
boarding-school  pupils,  2,714  Sunday-school  pupils  were  in 
attendance.     It  is  a  noble  record  of  results  for  faithful  service. 

It  has  been  suggested  in  some  quarters  that  the  American 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  shall  abandon  this  promising  mis- 
sion field;  or  rather  it  is  proposed  that  it  shall  exchange  this 
successful  and  flourishing  work  with  English  brethren,  for  work 
started  by  them  in  Central  America.  It  is  possible  that  from 
the  point  of  view  of  church  administration  such  an  exchange 
may  be  desirable;  it  is  certain  that  from  any  other  point  of 
view  it  will  be  a  great  misfortune.  The  writer  of  this  article 
has  himself  been  in  Liberia,  and  is  profoundly  interested  in 
Liberian  problems.  He  believes  that  any  proposal  to  abandon 
work  in  Liberia  could  only  arise  through  ignorance  of  the  actual 
conditions  in  the  Black  Republic.  He  has  no  wish  to  interfere 
in  affairs  which  in  no  wise  concern  himself.  Deeply  interested, 
however,  in  the  progress  of  the  only  remaining  country  of 
Africa  which  is  administered  by  black  men,  he  desires  to  express 
his  reasons  for  opposing  the  suggestion. 

It  is  now  seventy-seven  years  since  the  Liberian  work  was 
begun.  It  has  been  wisely  directed,  it  has  been  nobly  sup- 
ported, it  has  been  successful.  Surely  the  ultimate  aim  in  all 
such  labor  is  to  produce  a  self-supporting  church  in  the  mission 
field.  The  Liberian  Chvirch  is  already  approaching  the  point 
of  self-support.  In  his  last  report  Bishop  Ferguson  says:  "I 
believe  the  greatest  joy  of  my  life  would  be  to  be  able  to  say  to 
the  Board  of  Missions,  '  The  Church  in  Liberia  will  hereafter  sup- 
port itself.  You  need  not  appropriate  any  more  funds  towards 
its  maintenance. '  That  I  am  unable  to  do  so  as  yet  is  not  be- 
cause of  an  indisposition  on  the  part  of  the  people  to  contribute 
to  such  a  worthy  object,  but  rather  because  of  their  poverty, 
through  not  having  learnt  to  work  profitably.  It  must  be 
16. 


242  LIBERIA. 

remembered  that  two-thirds  of  our  communicants  are  native 
Africans  who,  as  well  as  the  majority  of  the  class  we  call 
'  Americo-Liberians'  making  up  the  one-third,  need  to  be 
trained  in  some  remunerative  industry.  The  fact  is,  that  the 
financial  burden  of  the  Church  in  the  district  is  resting  on  a 
comparatively  small  number.  Taking  this  into  consideration, 
the  amount  raised  from  time  to  time  for  the  building,  repairing, 
and  improving  of  churches,  and  to  meet  other  parochial  ex- 
penses is  rather  creditable  than  otherwise.  Besides  expenses 
at  home,  they  contribute  annually  toward  missions  in  general 
in  the  shape  of  Lenten  and  Easter  offerings  and  the  missionary 
apportionment  fund.  Our  quota  of  the  last  named  has  already 
been  paid  up  for  the  present  year.  But  as  above  shown,  com- 
paratively few  deserve  the  credit.  To  make  the  work  self- 
supporting,  at  least  a  majority  of  the  members  should  be  able 
to  contribute  to  it. ' ' 

Certainly,  it  is  a  basic  error  to  abandon  a  work  which  has 
been  conducted  for  seventy-seven  years,  when  it  approaches  the 
point  of  self-support.  A  change  subjecting  the  mission  to  a 
new  administration,  would  mean  setback  and  delay  in  gaining 
the  end  desired. 

The  American  Church  is  bound  in  a  special  way  to  Liberia; 
the  original  settlers  in  Liberia  were  American  freed-men;  they 
had  been  our  slaves.  As  Americans  we  had  been  responsible 
for  the  dragging  of  thousands  of  helpless  black  people  from 
their  homes;  we  had  held  them  for  years  in  captivity.  When 
finally  we  sent  them  back  as  freed-men  to  the  shores  of  their 
native  continent,  our  obligations  by  no  means  ceased. 

When  Bishop  Lee  preached  the  sermon  at  the  consecration 
of  Bishop  Ferguson,  he  used  the  following  strong  terms :  "To 
the  millions  of  this  race  among  ourselves,  as  well  as  to  those 
beyond  the  sea,  we  should  count  ourselves  debtors.  If  any 
branch  of  the  evangelistic  work  of  our  Church  has  peculiar  and 
sacred  claims  to  general  support,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  our 
African  Mission  as  well  as  our  home  Mission  among  our  colored 
people.  With  glad  and  ready  hearts  should  we  enter  this  open 
door.  With  free  and  unclosed  hands  should  we  pour  our  gifts 
into  the  Lord's  treasury.  And  when  we  read  with  averted  eye 
the  shocking  details  of  former  injustice  and  inhumanity,  well 
may  we  thank  God  that  He  has  shown  us  a  way  in  which  we  may 
send  back  to  those  sunny  climes  a  benefaction,  the  value  of 
which  cannot  be  told. ' ' 

In  1893  Dr.  Langford,  General  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Missions,  said:  "The  lapse  of  time  does  not  lighten  by  a  shade 
the  deep  damnation  of  its  curse.  If  America  were  to  pay  a 
million  dollars  a  year  for  fifty  years,  it  would  not  suffice  to 
cancel  a  tithe  of  her  debt  to  Africa." 

England  has  no  such  duty  nor  obligation  to  Liberia;  she 
cannot  be  expected  to  take  the  same  legitimate  interest  in  that 
mission.     Nor  have  the  Missions  of  Central  America  anything 


REPRINTED    ARTICLES.  243 

like  the  same  claim  upon  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  the 
American  Church  as  has  Liberia.  Nothing  but  blindness  to  the 
seriousness  of  our  obligation  could  lead  us  to  make  the  exchange. 

It  is  true  that  the  United  States  has  at  no  time  shown  the 
hearty  interest  in,  and  sympathy  with  Liberia  which  she  should 
have.  It  is,  however,  true  that,  as  a  result  of  all  the  past,  the 
civilized  Liberians  are  to-day  far  more  American  in  spirit  than 
English.  The  Liberians  are  different  in  their  bearing  and  man- 
ner from  all  other  blacks  upon  the  coast  of  West  Africa.  This 
is  not  merely  a  personal  claim.  Travelers,  ever  since  the  early 
days  of  colonization,  are  united  in  their  statements:  the 
Liberian  is  more  independent — he  is  more  a  man — than  the 
black  man  in  any  of  the  European  colonies.  This  spirit  has 
been  frequently  criticised;  it  is  no  advantage  to  colonizing 
nations  to  encounter  black  men  of  spirit  and  independence ;  such 
are  a  bad  example  to  colonial  subjects.  But,  if  Liberia  is  to 
remain  a  nation,  this  spirit  of  independence  must  be  maintained. 
The  transfer  of  this  mission  to  England  would  dampen  enthu- 
siasm; it  would  check  the  independent  spirit;  it  would  introduce 
the  element  of  weakness.  No  one  who  has  seen  the  blacks  of 
Freetown  can  fail  to  grasp  my  meaning.  The  attitude  of  the 
Englishman  toward  colored  peoples  may  be  fairly  fair  and  just, 
but  it  is  repressive.  In  the  nature  of  things,  administration  of 
the  Liberian  Church  by  British  leaders  would  necessarily  lead 
to  irritation  and  assumption  of  superiority  on  the  one  side  and 
subservience  upon  the  other;  there  would  be  less  of  self-respect 
and  independence.  If  the  Church  held  its  own  in  numbers,  it 
would  be  through  the  loss  of  its  most  desirable  members  and 
their  replacement  by  people  of  less  strong  character. 

The  work  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is  not  the  only 
mission  work  within  the  limits  of  Liberia.  There  are  also  mis- 
sions, more  or  less  active,  conducted  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal, 
African  Methodist  Episcopal,  Baptist,  Lutheran  and  Presby- 
terian denominations.  If  these  mission  efforts  are  to  be  success- 
ful there  must  be  fellow  feeling  between  the  different  missions; 
harmony  and  unity  should  be  the  order  of  the  day.  We  regret 
that  there  has  not  always  been  the  most  harmonious  relations 
between  the  different  branches  of  Christian  efforts  in  the  Eepub- 
lic.  Surely,  however,  every  mission  there  established  should  do 
its  utmost  toward  harmony;  surely  it  should  be  the  policy  of 
each  separate  mission  to  do  nothing  which  could  interrupt  or 
destroy  harmonious  relations.  But  all  these  other  mission  efforts 
in  Liberia  are  in  American  hands;  the  transfer  of  the  Church 
mission  to  English  hands  would  be  certain,  under  the  political 
and  social  conditions  of  the  country,  to  introduce  friction  and 
enmity  which  would  be  destructive  beyond  the  possibility  of 
calculation.  From  the  point  of  view  of  Christian  harmony  it 
would  be  a  blunder  to  transfer  the  mission. 

I  believe  that  Liberia  may  have  an  important  influence  in 
solving  our  Negro  problem.     It  is  doubtful  whether  we  shall 


244  LIBERIA. 

send  a  large  number  of  emigrants  from  our  southern  states  to 
the  Republic;  it  is  likely  that  a  small  migration  will  constantly 
take  place  from  us  to  Africa.  But  it  is  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence both  to  Liberia  and  to  our  American  black  people  that 
there  be  intimate  relations  between  the  two  regions.  It  is 
desirable  that  many  black  men  from  America  should  visit  and 
know  Liberia;  it  is  most  important  that  Liberians  should  find 
it  easy  to  come  to  America  and  see  our  institutions.  In  this 
easy  contact  and  intimate  relation  there  is  certainly  ease  for 
our  black  man 's  troubles.  Everything  which  cultivates  close, 
frequent,  repeated  and  continued  contact  will  help  us  as  much 
as  it  helps  them.  We  ought,  then,  at  least,  to  think  a  long  time 
before  we  sever  any  connection  already  established. 

In  view  of  these  conditions  and  tendencies,  it  seems  to  me 
that  the  proposed  exchange  would  be  a  serious  blunder.  Motives 
of  economy  and  ease  of  administration  cannot  excuse  it.  Duty, 
honor,  enlightened  patriotism,  demand  that  the  American 
Church  continue  to  carry  the  Liberian  mission  until  such  time 
as  it  may  become  self-supporting, 

THE  PEOPLE  OF  LIBERIA. 
(The  Independent.     August  14,  1913.) 

There  is  no  question  that  ultimately  Liberia  must  depend 
upon  her  native  population;  the  native  tribes  are  the  chief  asset 
of  the  black  republic.  If  it  is  to  make  progress  in  the  future, 
there  must  be  hearty  cooperation  between  the  ' '  Liberian ' '  and 
the  "native."  The  native  must  be  aroused  to  realize  that  his 
interest  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Liberian ;  he  must  realize  that 
his  country  is  the  Liberian 's  country ;  he  must  learn  to  know 
and  to  carry  his  part  of  the  common  burden.  This  is  going  to 
be  a  difficult  lesson  for  both  to  learn.  From  the  very  beginning 
of  the  colony  to  the  present  time,  the  attitude  of  the  newcomer 
toward  the  native  has  been  that  of  a  superior  to  an  inferior 
being.  It  is  and  always  has  been  the  custom  for  Liberians  to 
speak  of  themselves  as  "white  men,"  while  they  have  consid- 
ered the  natives  "bush  niggers."  The  Liberian  has  never 
indulged  to  any  extent  in  manual  labor;  he  has  done  but  little 
even  in  agricultural  work.  The  native  has  always  been  consid- 
ered the  natural  laborer  of  the  country;  socially  an  inferior,  he 
has  been  despised  and  neglected.  He  has  done  the  heavy  work, 
he  has  brought  in  the  produce  of  "the  bush,"  he  has  been  the 
house  servant.  While  he  has  rarely  been  treated  with  cruelty, 
he  has  been  looked  upon  with  contempt.  There  is  no  doubt 
that,  in  the  future,  the  native  will  continue  to  be  the  chief 
laborer  of  the  country;  something  of  prejudice  must  be  expected 
to  continue ;  but  conditions  ought  to  be  such  that  it  will  be  easy 
for  a  bright  native  boy  to  emerge  from  his  own  status  and  play 
his  part  in  the  mutual  progress. 


REPRINTED    ARTICLES.  245 

Under  the  circumstances,  every  individual  case  of  a  Liberiau 
native  who  has  gained  a  position  of  consequence  in  the  com- 
munity has  special  significance  and  importance.  One  of  the 
encouraging  facts  in  present  day  Liberia  is  that  a  considerable 
number  of  natives  are  occupying  positions  of  influence  and 
power  in  their  community.  At  the  present  time  a  member  of 
the  Cabinet  is  a  native  of  pure  blood.  The  Secretary  of  Public 
Instruction,  in  charge  of  the  educational  system  of  the  republic, 
is  a  Bassa;  he  is  one  of  "Miss  Sharp's  boys"— and  does  credit 
to  her  efforts.  While  the  educational  development  of  Liberia 
leaves  much  to  be  desired,  he  has  ninety-one  schools  (including 
night  schools)  under  his  direction. 

Another  native  who  has  gained  position,  reputation  and  in- 
fluence is  Abayomi  Wilfrid  Karnga,  the  son  of  a  Kongo  man, 
which  means  that  he  has  risen  against  more  serious  difficulties 
than  face  the  usual  native  of  the  country.  The  population  of 
Liberia  consists  actually  of  three  different  classes  of  black  men ; 
first,  the  descendants  of  American  or  English  freedmen; 
second,  the  actual  natives  of  the  country;  third,  descendants  of 
recaptured  slaves — very  commonly  included  under  the  general 
term  of  "Kongo  men."  The  last  mentioned  people  had  been 
bought  by  slavers,,  taken  on  board  slave  vessels,  and  were  being 
taken  to  Cuba  or  South  America  for  sale  when  they  were  cap- 
tured by  British  or  American  warships,  taken  to  Liberia,  and 
dumped  upon  the  colony  for  care  and  raising.  They  have 
always  been  looked  upon  with  contempt  by  both  Liberians  and 
natives,  and  for  a  Kongo  man  to  rise  indicates  energy  and 
natural  ability.  Mr.  Karnga  has  been  a  school  teacher  and  is 
now  a  practising  lawyer;  he  is  at  present  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Kepresentatives  and  is  active  in  public  affairs. 

Another  conspicuous  native  success  is  Luke  B.  Anthony,  a 
Bassa.  He  received  his  early  training  under  the  Presbyterian 
missionaries  and  attended  Lincoln  University,  in  Pennsylvania. 
At  one  time  he  had  high  hope  of  conducting  schools  for  his  own 
people,  but  this  hope  vanished  with  the  discontinuance  of  mis- 
sion etfort  on  the  part  of  the  board  with  which  he  has  been 
interested.  He  loves  his  people  and  a  year  ago  gave  the  com- 
mencement address  at  Liberia  College  upon  the  subject  of 
"Bassa  Traditions."  While  in  the  United  States  he  received 
medical  training  and  is  a  successful  physician.  At  present  he 
is  professor  of  mathematics  in  Liberia  College  and  a  teacher  of 
considerable  ability  and  force. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  Liberian  natives  who  are 
playing  a  part  in  public  life  is  Momolu  Massaquoi.  He  repre- 
sents the  Vai  people,  one  of  the  most  important,  enterprising 
and  progressive  of  the  score  or  so  of  native  tribes  in  the  republic. 
The  Vai  are  a  Mohammedan  population  and  stand  alone  among 
African  negroes  in  having  in  conmion  daily  use  a  system  of 
writing  with  characters  invented  long  ago  by  one  of  their  own 
tribe.    Mr.  Massaquoi  was  an  hereditary  chief  among  his  people. 


246  LIBERIA. 

While  still  young  he  became  a  Christian,  found  his  way  to  the 
United  States,  and  gained  part  of  his  education  in  this  country. 
After  returning  to  Liberia  he  was  paramount  chief  among  his 
people  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  He  now  lives  in  Monrovia, 
where  he  occupies  the  position  of  chief  clerk  in  the  Department 
of  the  Interior.  He  is  now  preparing  text-books  in  Vai  for 
use  among  his  people. 

The  number  of  pure  blood  natives  among  the  Liberian  clergy 
must  be  considerable.  Some  of  these,  like  the  Rev.  F.  A.  Eus- 
sell,  of  Grand  Bassa,  minister  to  mixed  congregations,  with 
both  Liberian  and  native  members.  Other  native  clergymen 
have  charge  of  definite  mission  work  among  the  natives.  Thus, 
Eev.  McKrae  is  in  charge  of  the  Kru  chapel  (Episcopalian)  in 
Monrovia.  The  Kru  and  Grebo  are  close  kin,  both  in  speech  and 
blood.  In  connection  with  such  mission  effort  we  are  naturally 
reminded  of  Mr.  Scott,  a  full-blooded  Grebo,  who  is  the  architect 
and  superintendent  of  construction  of  the  Bromley  School  for 
Girls,  situated  upon  the  St.  Paul's  Eiver  about  three  hours  by 
steamer  from  Monrovia;  it  is  said  to  be  the  largest  building  in 
Liberia.  Mr.  Scott  has  had  no  instruction  in  the  builder 's  trade 
beyond  what  he  has  picked  up  practically  and  through  a  course 
of  instruction  received  from  America  by  correspondence. 

These  are  a  few  examples  of  native  men  who  are  doing  some- 
thing to  help  Liberians  to  solve  their  problems.  There  must  be 
a  considerable  number  of  such.  There  is,  however,  another  class 
of  men  who  are  helping  in  the  advancement  of  the  country, 
though  in  quite  a  different  way.  Those  whom  we  have  men- 
tioned have  practically  severed  themselves  from  the  native  life; 
they  are  living  among  Liberians  and  taking  active  part  with 
them.  Thomas  Lewis,  a  Bassa,  living  in  Grand  Bassa,  where  his 
house,  newly  built,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  town,  is  a  native 
of  the  natives.  His  father  was  a  local  king;  Thomas  was  one 
of  about  a  hundred  children.  Through  missionary  effort  he 
gained  the  rudiments  of  education ;  coming  then  to  the  United 
States,  he  studied  in  various  cities,  finally  taking  his  advanced 
work  in  Syracuse  University.  While  there  he  devised  a  system 
of  writing  the  Bassa  language,  which,  like  the  system  long  in 
use  among  the  Vai,  consists  of  a  series  of  phonetic  characters 
standing  for  syllables.  ^Vhile  in  Syracuse  he  had  a  primer 
printed  in  the  new  characters  for  teaching  Bassa  children  to 
read.  Having  studied  medicine,  he  became  a  practising  physi- 
cian on  his  return  to  his  own  country.  He  has  large  influence 
with  the  primitive  Bassa,  and  not  infrequently  is  called  upon  by 
the  Government  to  exert  this  in  its  behalf.  He  has  taught  a 
number  of  Bassa  boys  his  system  and  takes  great  pride  in  their 
ability  to  write  and  read  their  language  with  his  characters. 

Living  in  the  same  neighborhood  with  Dr.  Lewis  is  Jacob 
Logan.  His  father  was  a  Liberian,  his  mother  a  Bassa;  his 
father  represented  a  class  of  which  we  hear  much  in  the  writings 
of  authors  who  criticize  Liberian  affairs — civilized  Liberians 
who  relapse.     He  lived  the  native  life  and  his  son  Jacob  was 


REPRINTED    ARTICLES.  247 

brought  up  amid  purely  native  surroundings.  Jacob  Logan 
today  speaks  excellent  English,  writes  and  reads  the  language 
perfectly  well,  knows  Liberia  and  the  outside  world,  having  been 
to  Europe.  Yet  he  maintains  the  state  of  a  native  chief.  He 
has  an  excellent  house,  which  he  calls  "Native  Vindicator's 
House ;  "  he  is  legally  married  to  one  wife,  but  has  the  reputa- 
tion of  maintaining  a  considerable  body  of  native  women;  he 
has  a  quantity  of  dependents,  known  everywhere  as  ' '  Jacob 
Logan's  boys."  They  work  for  him,  and  when  they  hire  out 
to  others  he  receives  their  wages;  they  are  subject  to  his  orders; 
they  live  in  his  house  or  on  his  property  until  married;  after 
they  are  married  they  still  retain  relations  with  him.  On  his 
part  Jacob  owes  them  advice,  shelter,  direction,  assistance ;  when 
they  wish  to  marry  he  provides  the  money,  for  they  must  pay 
for  wives;  if  they  are  in  trouble  he  must  help  them;  if  they  get 
into  legal  difficulty  he  must  pay  their  fines.  These  two  men  are 
representative,  no  doubt,  of  a  large  class.  They  have  great  influ- 
ence and  it  certainly  is  to  the  advantage  of  Government  that 
their  influence  be  utilized  in  its  favor.  If  they  are  well  informed 
in  regard  to  governmental  policy  and  favorable  to  it,  they  can 
do  much. 

Is  it  desirable  that  Liberians  and  natives  intermarry?  It 
is  certain  that  the  native  endures  the  climate  better  than  the 
newcomers;  it  is  true  that  he  has  far  more  energy,  vigor,  enter- 
prise— in  case  his  interest  is  once  aroused.  There  can  be  no 
question  that  close  breeding  among  the  little  handful  of 
Liberians  is  fraught  with  danger;  mixture  with  the  native 
stock  would  give,  in  many  cases,  good  results.  There  is  always, 
of  course,  the  danger  in  such  mixed  marriages  of  relapse  to 
barbarism.  The  Liberian  who  marries  a  native  woman  might 
lead  an  easy  life  among  her  people  in  the  bush.  This  danger 
is  a  real  one  and  needs  to  be  avoided. 

It  is  only  five  minutes'  walk  from  the  heart  of  Liberian 
Monrovia  to  the  center  of  Krutown  on  the  beach.  It  is  a  purely 
native  town;  most  of  the  houses  are  true  Kru  houses,  with 
thatched  roofs  and  matting  sides.  The  streets  are  narrow, 
the  houses  crowded,  the  people  swarm.  The  Kru  have  force  and 
vigor;  they  are  splendid  canoe-men  and  fishers;  they  are  the 
chief  dependence  of  coast  commerce,  loading  and  unloading 
the  steamer  cargoes.  The  men  and  boys  almost  all  know 
English,  some  have  a  smattering  of  French  or  German;  the 
women  confine  themselves  largely  to  their  native  language, 
though  girls  in  school  all  learn  English.  The  Kru  are  workers ; 
they  like  activity.  There  are  schools  in  Krutown,  but  the 
Kru  boys,  after  they  have  finished  their  studies  in  them,  go  up 
to  the  College  of  West  Africa,  in  Monrovia.  This  is  a  mission 
school,  supported  by  the  Methodists,  in  which  all  the  teachers 
are  colored;  most  of  them  Americans. 

One  day  I  visited  the  class  in  arithmetic,  consisting  of  about 
thirty   scholars.     Sitting  in  the   midst  of   them,  when   a  lull 


248  LIBERIA. 

came,  I  said  to  my  nearest  neighbor,  ' '  But  you  are  a  native 
boy?"  "Yes,  sir;  we  are  many  of  us  native  boys.  He  is  a 
native,  and  he,  and  he,  and  he."  In  fact,  I  was  surrounded 
by  natives,  Km  boys.  * '  Well, ' '  I  asked,  ' '  and  how  do  you 
native  boys  do  in  your  classes?"  "We  do  better  than  they 
do,  sir,"  he  said.  "Do  you,  indeed?"  said  I;  "it  would 
sound  better  if  some  one  else  said  that;  but  how  is  it  so?" 
"I  can't  help  it,  sir;  we  do  better  anyway;  we  love  our  country 
better  than  they  do,  too."  However  that  may  be,  it  is  certain 
that  these  Kru  boys  will  outrun  the  Liberians  unless  the  latter 
are  careful.  No  one  else  in  all  Liberia  is  so  anxious  to  learn 
as  they. 

It  is  interesting  how  generally  they  look  toward  us  for  edu- 
cation. One  who  called  upon  me  one  afternoon  told  me  that  a 
Kru  boy  had  started  for  America  only  the  week  before.  He 
told  me,  then,  that  he  himself  was  one  of  five  boys  in  their 
town  and  school  who  had  agreed  together  that,  in  some  way  or 
other,  they  should  get  to  America  for  education.  They  will  do 
it,  too.  They  earn  good  money  from  the  steamers  and  know 
how  to  save;  after  they  had  been  hired  two  or  three  times  for 
a  coasting  voyage  they  make  friends  with  steamer  officers  and 
have  no  trouble  in  being  taken  to  Antwerp,  or  Eotterdam,  or 
Hamburg,  earning  something  more  than  passage  by  their  work. 
If  they  can  work  their  way  from  Hamburg  to  New  York  they 
are  glad  to  do  so,  but  most  of  them  realize  that  that  is  an 
uncertain  chance  and  start  out  either  with  cash  upon  their 
person  or  a  little  ivory  for  sale  to  provide  resources  beyond 
Hamburg. 

There  has  been  considerable  discussion  in  regard  to  the 
location  of  Liberia  College.  Should  it  remain  at  the  capital, 
Monrovia?  Or  should  it  be  transferred  to  some  point  in  the 
interior?  Just  now  there  is  so  much  talk  about  manual  training 
and  agricultural  instruction  that  there  has  been  considerable 
effort  made  to  change  the  character  of  the  school  and  to  place 
it  at  some  point  in  the  interior.  I  believe  that  Liberia  College 
ought  to  remain  in  Monrovia;  it  should  continue  to  be  an  insti- 
tution of  higher  education — cultural  in  character.  To  locate 
it  at  any  point  in  the  interior  would  be  to  confine  its  field  and 
value  to  a  single  district  and  a  single  tribe.  There  are  perhaps 
a  score  of  native  tribes  in  Liberia,  each  with  its  own  language, 
its  own  territory,  its  own  customs,  its  own  chiefs.  Between  the 
tribes  there  is  little  contact  and  no  bond  of  interest.  To  put 
Liberia  College  into  the  interior  would  benefit  perhaps  a  single 
tribe.  Other  tribes  would  not  patronize  it — they  would  look 
upon  it  as  of  no  value  or  interest  to  them.  What  is  needed  is 
the  establishment  of  a  good  central  school  within  the  area  of 
each  native  tribe.  It  should  give  thorough  nidimentary 
instruction.  It  should  serve  as  a  feeder  to  Liberia  College; 
its  best  men,  those  who  become  interested  and  are  ambitious, 
would  go  up  to  the  capital  for  further  study.    There  they  would 


REPRINTED     ARTICLES.  249 

meet  representatives  of  all  the  otlier  trilx^s  sent  up  from  the 
other  local  schools.  A  wholesome  rivalry  would  rise  between 
them;  tribal  spirit  would  be  maintained,  but  acquaintanceship 
and  respect  for  others  would  be  wholesomely  developed;  in 
Monrovia,  the  capital  city,  they  would  be  made  to  feel  a 
national  interest  and  develop  affection  for  their  common  gov- 
ernment. In  such  a  system  only  can  the  elevation  of  the  whole 
people  and  a  genuine  cooperation  be  developed. 

Manual   training   and   agricultural    instruction   are   of   high 
importance,  but  form  a  question  by  themselves. 


APPENDICES 

LEADING  EVENTS  IN  LIBERIAN  HISTORY 

1777     Virginia  Legislative  Committee  (Thomas  Jefferson,  Chn.) 

to    devise   scheme. 
1816     December  23.     Virginia  asked  United  States  to  secure 
a  territory. 
Similar  plans  by  Maryland,  Tennessee  and  Georgia. 
December  21.     Colonization  Society  considered. 

1818  Society  organized  with  Judge  Washing- 

ton as  President. 
February  2.     Two  agents  sailed  from  London  for  Sierra 

Leone. 
Interview  with  King  Sherbro.     Burgess  and  Mills. 
October  22.    Burgess  reached  United  States;  Mills  dead. 

1819  March  3.    Congress  determined  to  unite  with  Society. 
Samuel  Bacon  and  John  P.  Bankson — agents. 

1820  February.     The   Elizabeth   sailed:      Agent   Crozier   and 

88  colonists. 
— Three  agents  and  twenty  colonists  dead;  Daniel  Coker 

and  others  at  Sherbro  Island. 
— To  Sierra  Leone. 

1821  March.     Andrus  and  Wiltberger    (Soc),  Winn   and   E. 

Bacon  (U.  S.). 

— Cape  Mesurado=Montserrado.  Failure.  Bacon  re- 
turned; Andrus  and  Winn  dead.  Wiltberger  remained 
in   Africa. 

To  Sierra  Leone. 

Fall.  Dr.  Ayres  (Soc.)  to  Sierra  Leone:  Then  by  Alli- 
gator (Capt.  Stockton)  to  Cape  Mesurado. 

Ayres  and  Stockton — King  Peter  and  five  chiefs.  Buy 
land  for  $300. 

Differences;  but  colonists  persevere. 

Wreck  palaver :    Boatswain 's  intervention. 

1822  June  4.  Dr.  Ayres  sailed;  colonist  in  charge. 
July.     Final  removal  to  mainland. 

August  8.  Jehudi  Ashmun  arrived.  (Landing  8th  to 
14th.) 

18.  Martello  tower  begun. 
31.  Night  watch  established. 
September     1.  King  George  removed  his  town. 

15.  Mrs.  Ashmun  died;  only  one  person  well. 

251 


252  LIBERIA. 

November     7.  Notice  of  planned  attack. 
11.  Battle. 

22.  Parley. 

23.  Day     of    humiliation,     thanksgiving     and 

prayer. 
29.  Capt.  Brassey'a  visit. 
December     1.  Second    battle. 

2.  Night  cannonading;  Prince  Begent  (Capt. 
Laing)  ;    Midshipman  Gordon  and  men 
remain. 
8.  Columbian  schooner;    (Capt.  Wesley). 
1823     March  15.  Eemaining  five  children  returned  by  natives. 

1823  March  31.     U.  S.  S.  Cyane  (Capt.  Spencer). 
April  21.  Eichard  Seaton  remained:   died  in  June. 
May  24.  Osvpego  arrived:  Dr.  Ayres  and  61  colonists. 
Intrigue  and  rebellion  rife. 

December;  Dr.  Ayres  left. 

1824  February  20.  Liberia,  Monrovia, — official  names. 
March  22.  Ashmun  farewell  address;  April  1  embarked 

for  Islands. 
July  24.  Ashmun-Gurley  meeting  on  Porpoise;  Ashmun 

returns  with  him. 
August  13.  Gurley  and  Ashmun  reach  Monrovia:  Gurley 

there  until  August  22.    New  plan  of  government  drawn. 

1825  New  lands  acquired;  Grand  Bassa,  New  Cess. 

1826  New  lands  acquired;  Cape  Mount,  Junk  Eiver. 
Trade  Town  war. 

1827  August  27.  The  Norfolk,  with  142  recaptured  slaves. 

1828  March  25.  Ashmun  left  colony. 

August  25.  Ashmun  died  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 

October  28.  New  government  adopted. 

Digby  incident;   trouble  with  King  Bristol;  Lett  Carey 

killed  by  explosion  of  powder. 
December  22.  Eichard  Eandall,  new  agent,  arrived. 

1829  April  19.  Eandall  died;  Dr.  Mechlin,  agent. 

1831  James  Hall  with  31  colonists  from  the  Maryland  Colon- 

ization Society,  stop  at  Monrovia. 

1832  Dey-Golah  war   (Bromley). 

1833  Edina  founded. 

James  Hall  with  28  colonists;   settle  at  Cape  Palmas, 
"Maryland  in  Africa." 

1834  Mechlin  to  the  United  States;  John  B.  Pinney  succeeded 

him. 

1835  Pinney  home;  Dr.  Ezekiel  Skinner,  agent. 
Pennsylvania   Colonization   Society;    Port   Cresson   mas- 
sacre. 

1836  Anthony  D.  Williams,  agent. 

January.  Thomas  Buchanan  arrived;  in  charge  of  Bassa 
settlements. 


APPENDICES.  253 

1837  Gov.  I.  F.  C,  Finley  arrived;  in  charge  of  Mississippi  in 

Africa. 

1838  Greenville  established. 

September  10.  Gov.  Finley  murdered. 
New  Constitution  drawn  up  by  Prof.  Greenleaf,  Harvard 
College;  "Commonwealth  of  Liberia." 

1839  A.  D.  Williams  gives  up  agency;  Thomas  Buchanan,  gov- 

ernor. 
Tradetown  war. 

1840  Boporo-Golah  war=Gatumba 's  war:  Gen.  Eoberts. 
Difficulty  with  Eev.  John  Seyes,  in  charge  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Mission. 

1840  English  settlement  threatens  complications. 

1841  September  3.  Gov.  Buchanan  died.     Joseph  Jenkin  Eob- 

erts, governor. 

1842  France  attempts  to  secure  Liberian  foothold;  Cape  Mount, 

Bassa  Cove,  Butu,  Garawe. 

1843  February  22.  Treaty  with  Golah. 

1844-1845     Strengthening  of  Liberian  position,  by  purchase  and 
treaty. 
6%  ad  valorem  duty  established;  in  Maryland  as  well; 
agreement  between  Eoberts  and  Eusswurm. 

1844  Eoberts  visited  the  United  States;   American  squadron 

visited  Liberia. 

1845  The  Little  Ben  seized ;  the  John  Seyes  seized  from  Ben- 

son ;  United  States  inquiry. 

1846  January.  American  Colonization  Society  decides  to  grant 

self-government. 
Continued  land-purchasing  from  natives. 
Eelease   and   ' '  apprenticeship ' '   of   slaves. 
October  7.  Vote  on  Independence;   opposition  in  Grand 

Bassa. 

1847  July     8.  Day  of  Thanksgiving. 

26.  Declaration  of  Independence;   Constitution. 
August  4.  Flag  hoisted ;  recognition  by  Great  Britain. 
October.  Joseph   Jenkin    Eoberts   elected   president ;    in- 
stalled January  3,  1848. 

1848  England,  France,  Prussia  recognition.    President  Eoberts 

visited  Europe. 

1849  Eoberts  re-elected  president;  Eobertsport  founded  at  Cape 

Mount.       , 
February  26.  English  treaty  ratified. 

1848  Lord  Ashley  raised  £2,000  for  purchasing  lands  of  Mat- 

tru,  Gumbo,  Gallhinas,  Manna,  etc.     British  admiralty 
presented  The  Lark. 

1849  Portugal,  Sardinia,  Austria,  Denmark,  SAveden  and  Nor- 

way, Brazil,  Hamburg,  Bremen,  Lubeck,  Haiti,  recog- 
nized republic. 
March.  New  Cesters  slavers  cleaned  up  and  region  an- 
nexed. 


254  LIBERIA. 

September  19.  Ealph    Gurley   arrived    at    Cape    Mount ; 
report  printed  in  1850. 

1850  Two  German  trading  houses  established;   Vai,  Dey  and 

Golah  quarrelling. 

1851  British  Consul  appointed;  Mr.  Hanson. 
Eoberts:  third  term. 

Edward  Wilmot  Blyden  arrived. 

Interior  troubles;  Boporo.     Grando  war  at  Grand  Bassa. 

Native  troubles  in  Maryland. 
Governor   Eusswurm    died;    S.    M.    McGill,    governor    of 

Maryland. 

1852  Eoberts  visited  France  and  England. 

1853  Eoberts:   fourth  term. 

1854  William  A.  Prout ;  governor  of  Maryland. 

October   3.  President  visited  Europe;   proposed   annexa- 
tion of  Sierra  Leone. 

1856  Stephen  Allen  Benson,  president. 

Napoleon  III  equipment  for  1,000  armed  men  and  the 

niro7idelle. 
J.  B.  Drayton,  governor  of  Maryland. 
December  22.  Cape  Palmas  battle. 

1857  January  18.  Sheppard  Lake  disaster,  Grebo  war. 
February    18.  J.    J.   Eoberts   and   J.   F.    Gibson   signed 

treaty. 
28.  Annexation   of   Maryland. 
Eoberts  appointed  president  of  Liberia  College. 

1858  Begina  Coeli  incident. 

Seymore  and  Ash  expedition;   (E.  G.  S.  1860). 
1860     John  Myers  Harris'  boats  seized:   rescued  by  a  British 

gunboat — The   Torch. 
1862     Eoberts  sent  to  Europe;  appointed  Belgian  consul. 
President  Benson  in  England;  question  decided. 
Harris'   schooners   again   seized;    Monrovia   conference; 

Vai  and  Harris  war ;  Commodore  Schufeldt. 
October  22.  Treaty  with  the  United  States. 

1864  Daniel  Bashiel  Warner,  president. 

1865  Ports  of  Entry  Law:   Eobertsport,  Monrovia,  Marshall, 

Grand   Bassa,   Greenville,   Cape   Palmas. 
Three  hundred  West  Indian  immigrants;  A.  Barclay. 
1868     James  Spriggs  Payne,  president. 
Anderson 's  trip  to  Musahdu. 

1870  Edward  James  Eoye,  president.    Went  to  England. 
England  agrees  to  Boundary  Commission. 

Vai  attack  Harris;  Sierra  Leone  demands. 

1871  £100,000  loan  placed  in  England. 

October.  President  Eoye  proclaimed  term  extended;   at- 
tempted bank  seizure. 
— 26th.  Legislative  manifesto. 

1872  J.  J.  Eoberts  again  president. 
Paid  indemnity  of  1869. 


APPENDICES.  255 

1874  Anderson  's  second  expedition  to  Miisahdu. 

1875  Grebo  war;  natives  burned  Bunker  Hill  and  Philadelphia 

(near  Harper). 

1876  James  Spriggs  Payne,  president. 
Chigoes   introduced. 

1877  Colonists  from  Louisiana;  mainly  along  lower  St.  Paul's 

K. ;  some  subsequently  returned. 

1878  Eevived  demand  for  £8,500  indenmity. 
Anthony  William  Gardner,  president. 

1879  Order  of  African  Redemption  founded. 
April.  Entered  International  Postal  Union. 
Sierra  Leone  boundary  commission  wrangle. 

German   steamer   Carlos   wrecked   on   Nana   Kru   coast ; 
Victoria  punitive  expedition;  £900. 
1879-1887     J.  Buttikoper  visits  Liberia;  zoological  research. 

1882  March  20.  Sir  Arthur  Havelock  and  gunboats;  Mafa  R. 

boundary,  £8,500  indemnity. 
September  7.  Sir  Arthur  Havelock  returned. 

1883  Corsica  wrecked  at  Grand  Cestos  R. ;  Liberians  punished 

natives. 
Senegal  wrecked  and  plundered. 
March.  Sierra  Leone  took  land  up  to  Mano  River 
January    20.    Gardner    resigned;    Vice-President    A.    F. 

Russell  in  chair. 

1884  Hilary  Richard  Wright  Johnson,  president. 

1885  November     11.  Boundary     dispute     settled;     Mano     R. 

boundary. 
1885-1891     Efforts  at  adjusting  loan  of  1871. 

1891  October  26.  French  claim  Cavalla  R.  boundary. 

1892  Joseph  James  Cheeseman,  president. 

December  8.  Cavalla  R.  boundary  accepted,  after  protest. 

1893  Third  Grebo  war. 

Kru  declaration  of  adhesion. 

1896  November.    Vice-President  William  David  Coleman  takes 

presidency. 
Grebo  trouble. 

1897  German  consulate  offers  protectorate. 

1898  Liberia  admits  £70,000  to  £80,000  on  Loan  of  1871. 

1899  February   10.  Hostain's  and  d'Ollones'   expedition;    af- 

fecting Franco-Liberian  boundary. 

1900  Coleman  expedition  to  subdue  interior;  resignation. 
Garretson   Wilmot   Gibson,   president. 

1902  French  boundary  negotiations. 

1903  French  treaty  fixing  boundary;  Liberia  paid  £4,750. 
Anglo-Liberian  boundary  demarcated;  Mano  R. ;  Kanre- 

Lahun  in  Liberia. 
Missions  to  chiefs  one  hundred  miles  up  the  Cavalla  River, 
also  up  the  St.  Paul's. 


256  LIBERIA. 

1904  Arthur  Barclay,  president. 

Congress  of  kings — Golah,   Boporo,  Mpesse. 

March.  Effort  to  fix  French  boundary  from  Tembi  Kunda 

to  Cavalla  R. 
May    19.    German    Government    complains    of    Liberian 

judiciary. 
August.  Changes  in  Liberian  Development  Chartered  Co. ; 
also  in  January,  1906. 

1905  January.  Permission  given  for  British  force  to  pacify  the 

Kissi  district. 
February.  President    Barclay   visited    Cape    Mount    and 

treated  with  Vai. 
July  27.  Vice-President  J.  D.  Summerville  died. 

1906  Arthur  Barclay,  president. 

January  5.  Agreement  with  Liberian   Development   Co., 

for  a  loan  of  £100,000. 
Lomax  in  Kanre-Lahun  district. 

1907  May  7.  Amendment  to  Constitution  lengthening  presiden- 

tial term  to  four  years. 
Summer:     Commission    sent    to    adjust    difficulties    with 

Great  Britain  and  France. 
August    29.  President    Barclay   reaches    London;    Great 

Britain  demands  reforms  as  condition  to  discussion  of 

disagreement. 
September   18.  President  Barclay  yields  to   French   de- 
mands and  accepts  treaty. 
Severance  of  relations  between  Liberian  government  and 

Liberian  Development  Co. 
Tripartite  Agreement;    Liberia,   Erlanger  Co.,   Liberian 

Development  Co. ;  Liberia  takes  over  responsibility  for 

loan  of  1906. 
Trouble  at  Eiver  Cess. 

1908  Arthur  Barclay,  president ;  four  years  term. 
January.     Major  Mackay  Cadell  appears  in  Liberia. 
January  14.  Consul-general  Braithwaite  Wallis  issues  re- 
form demand. 

British  offer  to  exchange  Behlu  district  for  Kanre-Lahun. 

May.  Liberian  Commission  bring  appeal  to  the  United 
States. 

July.    Ex-President  "W.  D.  Coleman  died  at  Clay- Ashland. 

War -vessel  Lark  purchased  for  £40,000;  British  Govern- 
ment presents  gun  armament  worth  £1,600. 

1909  February  11.  Mackay  Cadell 's  frontier  force  in  mutiny. 
May  8.  United  States  commission  of  inquiry  arrived  at 

Monrovia. 
Trouble  at  River  Cess  and  Grand  Bassa. 

1910  March  21.  German  cable  line  opened. 
New  Cess  trouble;  Grebo  uprising. 


APPENDICES,  257 

1911  January.  Behlu     and    Kanre-Lahun     exchange    consum- 

mated ;    delimitation    ordered. 
May.    French  demand  customs  control  of  both  sides  of 

Cavalla  Eiver. 
September  26.  American  loan  arrangement  presented. 
November  1.  Free  navigation  of  the  Mano  R.  admitted. 

1912  January  1-2.     Daniel  Edward  Howard,  president;   inau- 

guration. 
January  1.  Loan  went  into  operation. 
February  7.  Edward  Wilmot  Blyden  died. 
Arrival  of  American  military  helpers — Major  Ballard  and 

Captains  Brown  and  Newton. 
September.  Lomax  and  Cooper  trials;  acquittals. 

DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE 
IN  CONVENTION 

Town  of  Monrovia;  June  and  July  1847 

We,  the  representatives  of  the  people  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  Liberia,  in  Convention  assembled,  invested  with  authority 
for  forming  a  new  government,  relying  upon  the  aid  and  pro- 
tection of  the  Great  Arbiter  of  human  events,  do  hereby,  in  the 
name  and  on  behalf  of  the  people  of  this  Commonwealth,  publish 
and  declare  the  said  Commonwealth  a  free,  sovereign  and 
INDEPENDENT  STATE,  by  the  name  and  style  of  the  Eepublic  of 
Liberia. 

While  announcing  to  the  nations  of  the  world  the  new  posi- 
tion which  the  people  of  this  Republic  have  felt  themselves  called 
upon  to  assume,  courtesy  to  their  opinion  seems  to  demand  a 
brief  accompanying  statement  of  the  causes  which  induced  them, 
first  to  expatriate  themselves  from  the  land  of  their  nativity 
and  to  form  settlements  on  this  barbarous  coast,  and  now  to 
organize  their  government  by  the  assumption  of  a  sovereign  and 
independent  character.  Therefore  we  respectfully  ask  their 
attention  to  the  following  facts: 

We  recognize  in  all  men,  certain  natural  and  inalienable 
rights:  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  right  to  acquire, 
possess,  enjoy  and  defend  property.  By  the  practice  and  consent 
of  men  in  all  ages,  some  system  or  form  of  government  is  proven 
to  be  necessary  to  exercise,  enjoy,  and  secure  these  rights:  and 
every  people  has  a  right  to  institute  a  government  and  to  choose 
and  adopt  that  system  or  form  of  it,  which,  in  their  opinion,  will 
most  effectually  accomplish  these  objects,  and  secure  their  happi- 
ness, which  does  not  interfere  with  the  just  rights  of  others. 
The  right  therefore  to  institute  government,  and  all  the  powers 
necessary  to  conduct  it,  is  an  inalienable  right,  and  cannot  be 
resisted  without  the  grossest  injustice. 
17 


258  LIBERIA. 

We,  the  people  of  the  Eepublic  of  Liberia,  were  originally  the 
inhabitants  of  the  United  States  of  North  America. 

In  some  part  of  that  country,  we  were  debarred  by  law  from 
all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  men — in  other  parts,  public 
sentiments,  more  powerful  than  law  frowned  us  down. 

"We  were  every  where  shut  out  from  all  civil  office. 
We  were  excluded  from  all  participation  in  the  government. 
We  were  taxed  without  our  consent. 

We  were  compelled  to  contribute  to  the  resources  of  a 
country,  which  gave  us  no  protection. 

We  were  made  a  separate  and  distinct  class,  and  against  us 
every  avenue  to  improvement  was  effectually  closed.  Strangers 
from  all  lands  of  a  color  different  from  ours,  were  preferred 
before  us. 

We  uttered  our  complaints,  but  they  were  unattended  to,  or 
met  only  by  alleging  the  peculiar  institution  of  the  country. 

All  hope  of  a  favorable  change  in  our  country  was  thus  wholly 
extinguished  in  our  bosom,  and  we  looked  with  anxiety  abrpad 
for  some  asylum  from  the  deep  degradation. 

The  Western  coast  of  Africa  was  the  place  selected  by  Ameri- 
can benevolence  and  philanthropy,  for  our  future  home.  Re- 
moved beyond  those  influences  which  depressed  us  in  our  native 
land,  it  was  hoped  we  would  be  enabled  to  enjoy  those  rights 
and  privileges,  and  exercise  and  improve  those  faculties,  which 
the  God  of  nature  has  given  us  in  common  with  the  rest  of  man- 
kind. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Colonization  Society,  we 
established  ourselves  here,  on  land  acquired  by  purchase  from 
the  lords  of  the  soil. 

In  an  original  compact  with  this  Society,  we  for  important 
reasons,  delegated  to  it  certain  political  powers;  while  this  insti- 
tution stipulated  that  whenever  the  people  should  become  capa- 
ble of  conducting  the  government,  or  whenever  the  people  should 
desire  it,  this  institution  would  resign  the  delegated  power, 
peaceably  withdraw  its  supervision,  and  leave  the  people  to  the 
government  of  themselves. 

Under  the  auspices  and  guidance  of  this  institution,  which  hag 
nobly  and  in  perfect  faith  redeemed  its  pledges  to  the  people, 
we  have  grown  and  prospered. 

From  time  to  time,  our  number  has  been  increased  by  migra- 
tion from  America,  and  by  accessions  from  native  tribes;  and 


APPENDICES.  259 

from  time  to  time,  as  circumstances  required  it,  we  have  extended 
our  borders  by  acquisition  of  land  by  honorable  purchase  from 
the  natives  of  the  country. 

As  our  territory  has  extended,  and  our  population  increased, 
our  commerce  has  also  increased.  The  flags  of  most  of 
the  civilized  nations  of  the  earth  float  in  our  harbors,  and 
their  merchants  are  opening  an  honorable  and  profitable  trade. 
Until  recently,  these  visits  have  been  of  a  uniformly  harmoni- 
ous character,  but  as  they  have  become  more  frequent,  and  to 
more  numerous  points  of  our  extending  coast,  questions  have 
arisen,  which  it  is  supposed  can  be  adjusted  only  by  agreement 
between  sovereign  powers. 

For  years  past,  the  American  Colonization  Society  has  faith- 
fully withdrawn  from  all  direct  and  active  part  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  Government,  except  in  the  appointment  of  the 
Governor,  who  is  also  a  colonist,  for  the  apparent  purpose  of 
testing  the  ability  of  the  people  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  Govern- 
ment j  and  no  complaint  of  crude  legislation,  nor  mismanage- 
ment, nor  of  maladministration  has  yet  been  heard. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  this  institution,  the  American  Colon- 
ization Society,  with  that  good  faith  which  has  uniformly  marked 
all  its  dealings  with  us,  did,  by  a  set  of  resolutions  in  January, 
in  the  Year  of  Our  Lrord  One  Thousand  Eight  Hundred  and 
Forty  Six,  dissolve  all  political  connection  with  the  people  of 
this  Eepublic,  return  the  power  with  which  it  was  delegated,  and 
left  the  people  to  the  government  of  themselves. 

The  people  of  the  Eepublic  of  Liberia  then,  are  of  right,  and 
in  fact,  a  free  sovereign  and  Independent  State,  possessed  of  all 
the  rights,  and  powers,  and  functions  of  government. 

In  assuming  the  momentous  responsibilities  of  the  position 
they  have  taken,  the  people  of  this  Eepublic,  feel  justified  by  the 
necessities  of  the  case,  and  with  this  conviction  they  throw  them- 
selves, with  confidence  upon  the  candid  consideration  of  the 
civilized  world. 

Liberia  is  not  the  offspring  of  grasping  ambition,  nor  the 
tool  of  avaricious  speculation. 

No  desire  for  territorial  aggrandizement  brought  us  to  these 
shores;  nor  do  we  believe  so  sordid  a  motive  entered  into  the 
high  consideration  of  those  who  aided  us  in  providing  this 
asylum. 

Liberia  is  an  asylum  from  the  most  grinding  oppression. 


260  LIBERIA. 

In  coming  to  the  shores  of  Africa,  we  indulged  the  pleasing 
hope  that  we  should  be  permitted  to  exercise  and  improve  those 
faculties  which  impart  to  man  his  dignity — to  nourish  in  our 
hearts  the  flame  of  honorable  ambition,  to  cherish  and  indulge 
those  aspirations,  which  a  Beneficent  Creator  hath  implanted  in 
every  human  heart,  and  to  evince  to  all  who  despise,  ridicule  and 
oppress  our  race  that  we  possess  with  them  a  common  nature,  are 
with  them  susceptible  of  equal  refinement,  and  capable  of  equal 
advancement  in  all  that  adorns  and  dignifies  man. 

We  were  animated  with  the  hope,  that  here  we  should  be  at 
liberty  to  train  up  our  children  in  the  way  they  should  go — to 
inspire  them,  with  the  love  of  an  honorable  fame,  to  kindle 
within  them,  the  flame  of  a  lofty  philanthropy,  and  to  form 
strong  within  them,  the  principles  of  humanity,  virtue  and  re- 
ligion. 

Among  the  strongest  motives  to  leave  our  native  land — ^to 
abandon  forever  the  scenes  of  our  childhood,  and  to  sever  the 
most  endeared  connections,  was  the  desire  for  a  retreat  where, 
free  from  the  agitations  of  fear  and  molestation,  we  could,  in 
composure  and  security,  approach  in  worship  the  God  of  our 
Fathers. 

Thus  far  our  highest  hopes  have  been  realized. 

Liberia  is  already  the  happy  home  of  thousands,  who  were 
once  the  doomed  victims  of  oppression;  and  if  left  unmolested 
to  go  on  with  her  natural  and  spontaneous  growth :  if  her  move- 
ments be  left  free  from  the  paralysing  intrigues  of  jealous  ambi- 
tion and  unscrupulous  avarice,  she  will  throw  open  a  wider  and 
a  wider  door  for  thousands  who  are  now  looking  with  an  anxious 
eye  for  some  land  of  rest. 

Our  courts  of  justice  are  open  equally  to  the  stranger  and  the 
citizen,  for  the  redress  of  grievances,  for  the  remedy  of  injuries, 
and  for  the  punishment  of  crime. 

Our  numerous  and  well  attended  schools  attest  our  efforts, 
and  our  desire  for  the  improvement  of  our  children. 

Our  churches  for  the  worship  of  our  Creator,  every  where  to  be 
seen,  bear  testimony  to  our  piety,  and  to  our  acknowledgement 
of  his  Providence. 

The  native  African,  bowing  down  with  us  before  the  altar 
of  the  living  God,  declare  that  from  us,  feeble  as  we  are,  the  light 
of  Christianity  has  gone  forth ;  while  upon  that  curse  of  curses, 
the  slave  trade,  a  deadly  blight  has  fallen  as  far  as  our  influence 
extends. 


APPENDICES.  261 

Therefore,  in  the  name  of  humanity,  and  virtue  and  religion — 
in  the  name  of  the  Great  God,  our  common  Creator,  and  our  com- 
mon Judge,  we  appeal  to  the  nations  of  Christendom,  and  ear- 
nestly and  respectfully  ask  of  them,  that  they  will  regard  us  with 
the  sympathy  and  friendly  consideration,  to  which  the  peculiari- 
ties of  our  condition  entitle  us,  and  to  extend  to  us  that  comity 
which  marks  the  friendly  intercourse  of  civilized  and  independent 
communities. 

DONE  in  CONVENTION,  at  Monrovia,  in  the  County  of 
Montserrado,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  people  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  Liberia,  this  Twenty-sixth  day  of 
July,  in  the  Year  of  Our  Lord  One  Thousand  Eight  Hun- 
dred and  Eorty-seven.  In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereto 
set  our  names. 

MONTSEERADO  COUNTY, 

S.  Benedict,  President 
H.  Teage, 
Elijah  Johnson, 
J.  N.  Lewis, 
Beverly  R.  Wilson, 
J.  B.  Gripon. 

GRAND  BASS  COUNTY, 

John  Day, 
Amos   Herring, 
A.  W.  Gardner, 
Ephhraim  Titler. 

COUNTY  OF  SINOE, 

R.  E.  Murray. 

Jacob  W.  Prout, 
Secretary  of  the  Convention. 

CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  REPUBLIC  OF 
LIBERIA 

PBEAMBLE 

The  end  of  the  institution,  maintenance,  and  administration 
of  government,  is  to  secure  the  existence  of  the  body  politic, 
to  protect  it,  and  to  furnish  the  individuals  who  compose  it, 
with  the  power  of  enjoying  in   safety  and  tranquility,   their 


262  LIBERIA. 

natural  rights,  and  the  blessings  of  life;  and  whenever  these 
great  objects  are  not  obtained,  the  people  have  a  right  to  alter 
the  government  and  to  take  measures  necessary  for  their  safety, 
prosperity,  and  happiness. 

Therefore,  we  the  People  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Liberia, 
in  Africa,  acknowledging  with  devout  gratitude,  the  goodness 
of  God,  in  granting  to  us  the  blessings  of  the  Christian  Religion, 
and  political,  religious  and  civil  liberty,  do,  in  order  to  secure 
these  blessings  for  ourselves  and  our  posterity,  and  to  estab- 
lish justice,  insure  domestic  peace,  and  promote  the  general 
welfare,  hereby  solemnly  associate,  and  constitute  ourselves  a 
Free,  Sovereign  and  Independent  State  by  the  name  of  the 
REPUBLIC  of  LIBERIA,  and  do  ordain  and  establish  this 
Constitution  for  the  government  of  the  same. 

ARTICLE  I 

BILIi   OP  RIGHTS 

Section  1.  All  men  are  born  equally  free  and  independent, 
and  have  certain  natural,  inherent  and  inalienable  rights: 
among  which  are  the  rights  of  enjoying  and  defending  life  and 
liberty,  of  acquiring,  possessing  and  protecting  property,  and 
of  pursuing  and  obtaining  safety  and  happiness. 

Section  2.  All  power  is  inherent  in  the  people;  all  free 
governments  are  instituted  by  their  authority,  and  for  their 
benefit,  and  they  have  the  right  to  alter  and  reform  the  same 
when  their  safety  and  happiness  require  it. 

Section  3.  All  men  have  a  natural  and  inalienable  right 
to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  consciences, 
without  obstruction  or  molestation  from  others:  all  persons 
demeaning  themselves  peaceably,  and  not  obstructing  others  in 
their  religious  worship,  are  entitled  to  the  protection  of  law, 
in  the  free  exercise  of  their  own  religion,  and  no  sect  of 
Christians  shall  have  exclusive  privileges  or  preference  over  any 
other  sect;  but  all  shall  be  alike  tolerated;  and  no  religious 
test  whatever  shall  be  required  as  a  qualification  for  civil  office, 
or  the  exercise  of  any  civil  right. 

Section  4.  There  shall  be  no  slavery  within  this  Republic. 
Nor  shall  any  citizen  of  this  Republic,  or  any  person  resident 
therein,  deal  in  slaves,  either  within  or  without  this  Republic, 
directly  or  indirectly. 

Section  5.  The  people  have  a  right  at  all  times,  in  an 
orderly  and  peaceable  manner  to  assemble  and  consult  upon  the 
common   good,  to  instruct  their  representatives,  and  to  peti- 


APPENDICES,  263 

tion  the  government,  or  any  public  functionaries  for  the  redress 
of  grievances. 

Section  6.  Every  person  injured  shall  have  remedy  there- 
for, by  due  course  of  law;  justice  shall  be  done  without  denial 
or  delay;  and  in  all  cases,  not  arising  under  martial  law  or  upon 
impeachment,  the  parties  shall  have  a  right  to  a  trial  by  jury, 
and  to  be  heard  in  person  or  by  counsel,  or  both. 

Section  7.  No  persons  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  capital 
or  infamous  crime,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment,  cases  aris- 
ing in  the  army  or  navy,  and  petty  offences,  unless  upon  pre- 
sentment by  a  grand  jury;  and  every  person  criminally  charged 
shall  have  a  right  to  be  seasonably  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the 
charge,  to  be  confronted  with  the  witnesses  against  him, — to 
have  compulsory  process  for  obtaining  witnesses  in  his  favor; 
and  to  have  a  speedy,  public,  and  impartial  trial  by  a  jury 
of  the  vicinity.  He  shall  not  be  compelled  to  furnish  or  give 
evidence  against  himself;  and  no  person  shall  for  the  same 
offence  be  twice  put  in  jeopardy  of  life  or  limb. 

Section  8.  No  person  shall  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty, 
property,  or  privilege,  but  by  judgment  of  his  peers  or  the  law 
of  the  land. 

Section  9.  No  place  shall  be  searched,  nor  person  seized 
on  a  criminal  charge  or  suspicion,  unless  upon  warrant  lawfully 
issued,  upon  probable  cause  supported  by  oath,  or  solemn  affir- 
mation, specially  designating  the  place  or  person,  and  the  object 
of  the  search. 

Section  10.  Excessive  bail  shall  not  be  required,  nor  ex- 
cessive fines  imposed,  nor  excessive  punishments  inflicted.  Nor 
shall  the  Legislature  make  any  law  impairing  the  obligation  of 
contracts  nor  any  law  rendering  any  acts  punishable  when  it 
was  committed. 

Section  11.  All  elections  shall  be  by  ballot;  and  every 
male  citizen  of  twenty-one  years  of  age,  possessing  real  estate, 
shall  have  the  right  of  suffrage. 

Section  12.  The  people  have  a  right  to  keep  and  bear  arms 
for  the  common  defence  and  as  in  time  of  peace,  armies  are 
dangerous  to  liberty,  they  ought  not  to  be  maintained  without 
the  consent  of  the  Legislature;  and  the  military  power  shall 
always  be  held  in  exact  subordination  to  the  civil  authority  and 
be  governed  by  it. 

Section  13.  Private  property  shall  not  be  taken  for  public 
use  without  just  compensation. 


264  LIBERIA. 

Section  14.  The  powers  of  this  government  shall  be  divided 
into  three  distinct  departments:  Legislative,  Executive  and 
Judicial,  and  no  person  belonging  to  one  of  these  departments 
shall  exercise  any  of  the  powers  belonging  to  either  of  the 
other.  This  section  is  not  to  be  construed  to  include  Justices 
of  the  Peace. 

Section  15.  The  liberty  of  the  press  is  essential  to  the 
security  of  freedom  in  a  state;  it  ought  not,  therefore  to  be 
restrained  in  this  Eepublic. 

The  printing  press  shall  be  free  to  every  person  who  under- 
takes to  examine  the  proceedings  of  the  Legislature,  or  any 
branch  of  government;  and  no  law  shall  ever  be  made  to 
restrain  the  rights  thereof.  The  free  communication  of  thoughts 
and  opinions,  is  one  of  the  invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  every 
citizen  may  freely  speak,  write  and  print,  on  any  subject,  being 
responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty. 

In  prosecutions,  for  the  publication  of  papers,  investigating 
the  official  conduct  of  officers,  or  men  in  a  public  capacity,  or 
where  the  matter  published  is  proper  for  public  information, 
the  truth  thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence.  And  in  all  indict- 
ments for  libels  the  jury  shall  have  the  right  to  determine  the 
law  and  the  facts,  under  the  directions  of  the  courts;  as  in 
other  cases. 

Section  16.  No  subsidy,  charge,  impost,  or  duties  ought 
to  be  established,  fixed,  laid  or  levied,  under  any  pretext  what- 
soever, without  the  consent  of  the  people,  or  their  representatives 
in  the  Legislature. 

Section  17.  Suits  may  be  brought  against  the  Eepublic 
in  such  manner,  and  in  such  cases  as  the  Legislature  may  by 
law  direct. 

Section  18.  No  person  can,  in  any  case,  be  subject  to  the 
law  martial,  or  to  any  penalties  or  pains  by  virtue  of  that  law, 
(except  those  employed  in  the  army  or  navy,  and  except  the 
militia  in  actual  service)  but  by  the  authority  of  the  Legislature. 

Section  19.  In  order  to  prevent  those  who  are  vested  with 
authority,  from  becoming  oppressors,  the  people  have  a  right 
at  such  periods,  and  in  such  manner,  as  they  shall  establish  by 
their  frame  of  government,  to  cause  their  public  officers  to 
return  to  private  life,  and  to  fill  up  vacant  places,  by  certain 
and  regular  elections  and  appointments. 

Section  20.  That  all  prisoners  shall  be  bailable  by  suf- 
ficient sureties;  unless,  for  capital  offences,  when  the  proof  is 


APPENDICES,  265 

evident,  or  presumption  great;  and  the  privilege  and  benefit 
of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall  be  enjoyed  in  this  Eepublie, 
in  the  most  free,  easy,  cheap,  expeditious  and  ample  manner, 
and  shall  not  be  suspended  by  the  Legislature,  except  upon  the 
most  urgent  and  pressing  occasions,  and  for  a  limited  time,  not 
exceeding  twelve  months, 

AETICLE  II 

LEGISLATIVE  POWERS 

Section  1.  That  the  legislative  power  shall  be  vested  in 
a  Legislature  of  Liberia,  and  shall  consist  of  two  separate 
branches — a  House  of  Representatives  and  a  Senate,  to  be  styled 
the  Legislature  of  Liberia;  each  of  which  shall  have  a  negative 
on  the  other,  and  the  enacting  style  of  their  acts  and  laws  shall 
be,  "It  is  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Bepresentatives 
of  the  Bepublic  of  Liberia  in  Legislature  assembled." 

Section  2.  The  representatives  shall  be  elected  by  and  for 
the  inhabitants  of  the  several  counties  of  Liberia,  and  shall  be 
apportioned  among  the  several  counties  of  Liberia,  as  follows: 
The  county  of  Montserrado  shall  have  four  representatives,  the 
county  of  Grand  Bassa  shall  have  three,  and  the  county  of  Sinoe 
shall  have  one ;  and  all  counties  hereafter  which  shall  be  admitted 
into  the  Republic  shall  have  one  representative,  and  for  every 
ten  thousand  inhabitants  one  representative  shall  be  added. 
No  person  shall  be  a  representative  who  has  not  resided  in  the 
county  two  whole  years  immediately  previous  to  his  election 
and  who  shall  not,  when  elected  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  county, 
and  does  not  own  real  estate  of  not  less  value  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  in  the  county  in  which  he  resides,  and  who 
shall  not  have  attained  the  age  of  twenty-three  years.  The 
representatives  shall  be  elected  biennially,  and  shall  serve  two 
years  from  the  time  of  their  election. 

Section  3.  When  a  vacancy  occurs  in  the  representation 
of  any  county  by  death,  resignation,  or  otherwise,  it  shall  be 
filled  by  a  new  election. 

Section  4.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall  elect  their 
own  Speaker  and  other  officers;  they  shall  also  have  the  sole 
power  of  impeachment. 

Section  5.  The  Senate  shall  consist  of  two  members  from 
Montserrado  County,  two  from  Grand  Bassa  County,  two  from 
Sinoe  County,  and  two  from  each  county  which  may  be  hereafter 
incorporated  into  this  Republic.  No  person  shall  be  a  senator 
who  shall  not  have  resided  three  whole  years  immediately  previ- 
ous to  his  election  in  the  Republic  of  Liberia,  and  who  shall 


266  LIBERIA. 

not,  when  elected,  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  county  which  he 
represents,  and  who  does  not  own  real  estate  of  not  less  value 
than  two  hundred  dollars  in  the  county  which  he  represents, 
and  who  shall  not  have  attained  the  age  of  twenty-five  years. 
The  senator  for  each  county  who  shall  have  the  highest  number 
of  votes  shall  retain  his  seat  four  years,  and  the  one  who  shall 
have  the  next  highest  number  of  votes,  two  years;  and  all  who 
are  afterwards  elected  to  fill  their  seats,  shall  remian  in  office 
four  years. 

Section  6.  The  Senate  shall  try  all  impeachments ;  the  sen- 
ators being  first  sworn  or  solemnly  affirmed  to  try  the  same 
impartially  and  according  to  law;  and  no  person  shall  be  con- 
victed but  by  the  concurrence  of  two-thirds  of  the  senators 
present.  Judgment,  in  such  cases,  shall  not  extend  beyond  re- 
moval from  the  office  and  disqualification  to  hold  an  office  in  the 
Republic ;  but  the  party  may  be  tried  at  law  for  the  same  of- 
fense. When  either  the  President  or  Vice-President  is  to  be 
tried,  the  Chief  Justice  shall  preside. 

Section  7.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Legislature  as  soon 
as  conveniently  may  be,  after  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution, 
and  once  at  least  in  every  ten  years  afterwards,  to  cause  a  true 
census  to  be  taken  of  each  town  and  county  of  the  Republic 
of  Liberia;  and  a  representative  shall  be  allowed  every  town 
having  a  population  of  ten  thousand  inhabitants;  and  for  every 
additional  ten  thousand  in  the  counties  after  the  first  census 
one  representative  shall  be  added  to  that  county,  until  the  num- 
ber of  representatives  shall  amount  to  thirty;  and  afterwards, 
one  representative  shall  be  added  for  every  thirty  thousand. 

Section  8.  Each  branch  of  the  Legislature  shall  be  judge 
of  the  election  returns  and  qualification  of  its  own  members. 
A  majority  of  each  shall  be  necessary  to  transact  business,  but 
a  less  number  may  adjourn  from  day  to  day  and  compel  the 
attendance  of  absent  members.  Each  House  may  adopt  its 
own  rules  of  proceedings,  enforce  order,  and,  with  the  concur- 
rence of  two-thirds,  may  expel  a  member. 

Section  9.  Neither  House  shall  adjourn  for  more  than  two 
days  without  the  consent  of  the  other;  and  both  Houses  shall 
always  sit  in  the  same  town. 

Section  10.  Every  bill  or  resolution  which  shall  have  passed 
both  branches  of  the  Legislature,  shall,  before  it  becomes  a  law, 
be  laid  before  the  President  for  his  approval;  if  he  approves, 
he  shall  sign  it ;  if  not,  he  shall  return  it  to  the  Legislature  with 
his  objections.  If  the  Legislature  shall  afterwards  pass  the 
bill  or  resolution  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  in  each  branch  it  shall 
become  a  law.     If  the  President  shall  neglect  to  return  such 


APPENDICES,  267 

bill  or  resolution  to  the  Legislature  with  his  objections  for  five 
days  after  the  same  shall  have  been  so  laid  before  him,  the 
Legislature  remaining  in  session  during  that  time,  such  neglect 
shall  be  equivalent  to  his  signature. 

Section  11.  The  Senators  and  Representatives  shall  receive 
from  the  Republic  a  compensation  for  their  services  to  be  ascer- 
tained by  law;  and  shall  be  privileged  from  arrest,  except  for 
treason,  felony,  or  breach  of  the  peace,  while  attending  at,  going 
to,  or  returning  from,  the  session  of  the  Legislature. 

ARTICLE  III 

EXECUTIVE   POWER 

Section  1,  The  supreme  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in 
a  President,  who  shall  be  elected  by  the  people,  and  shall  hold 
his  office  for  the  term  of  two  years.  He  shall  be  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army  and  navy.  He  shall  in  the  recess  of  the 
Legislature  have  power  to  call  out  the  militia,  or  any  portion 
thereof,  into  actual  service  in  defence  of  the  Republic.  He 
shall  have  power  to  make  treaties,  provided  the  Senate  concur 
therein  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the  senators  present.  He 
shall  nominate,  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate, 
appoint  and  commission  all  ambassadors  and  other  public  min- 
isters and  consuls,  secretaries  of  State,  of  War,  of  the  Navy,  and 
of  the  Treasury,  Attorney  General,  all  judges  of  courts,  sheriffs, 
coroners,  registers,  marshals,  justices  of  the  peace,  clerks  of 
courts,  notaries  public,  and  all  other  officers  of  State, — civil  and 
military,  whose  appointment  may  not  be  otherwise  provided  for 
by  the  Constitution,  or  by  standing  laws.  And  in  the  recess  of 
the  Senate,  he  may  fill  any  vacancies  in  those  offices,  until  the 
next  session  of  the  Senate.  He  shall  receive  all  ambassadors  and 
other  public  ministers.  He  shall  take  care  that  the  laws  are 
faithfully  executed: — he  shall  inform  the  Legislature,  from  time 
to  time,  of  the  condition  of  the  Republic,  and  recommend  any 
public  measures  for  their  adoption  which  he  may  think  expedient. 
He  may,  after  conviction,  remit  any  public  forfeitures  and 
penalties,  and  grant  reprieves  and  pardons  for  public  offences 
except  in  cases  of  impeachment.  He  may  require  information 
and  advice  from  any  public  officer  touching  matters  pertaining 
to  his  office.  He  may,  on  extraordinary  occasions,  convene  the 
Legislature,  and  may  adjourn  the  two  Houses  whenever  they 
cannot  agree  as  to  the  time  of  adjournment. 

Section  2.  There  shall  be  a  Vice-President  who  shall  be 
elected  in  the  same  manner  and  for  the  same  term  as  that  of  the 
President,  and  whose  qualifications  shall  be  the  same;  he  shall 
be  President  of  the  Senate,  and  give  the  casting  vote  when  the 
house  is  equally  divided  on  any  subject.     And  in  the  case  of 


268  LIBERIA. 

the  removal  of  the  President  from  office,  or  his  death,  resigna- 
tion, or  inability  to  discharge  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  said 
office,  the  same  shall  devolve  on  the  Vice-President;  and  the 
Legislature  may  by  law  provide  for  the  cases  of  removal,  death, 
resignation,  or  inability,  both  of  the  President  and  Vice- 
President,  declaring  what  officer  shall  then  act  as  President, 
and  such  officer  shall  act  accordingly  until  the  disability  be 
removed,  or  a  President  shall  be  elected. 

Section  3.  The  Secretary  of  State  shall  keep  the  records 
of  the  State,  and  all  the  records  and  papers  of  the  Legislative 
body,  and  all  other  public  records  and  documents  not  belonging 
to  any  other  department,  and  shall  lay  the  same  when  required, 
before  the  President  or  Legislature.  He  shall  attend  upon  them 
when  required,  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  may  be 
enjoined  by  law. 

Section  4.  The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  or  other  per- 
sons who  may  by  law  be  charged  with  custody  of  public  monies, 
shall,  before  he  receive  such  monies,  give  bonds  to  the  State, 
with  sufficient  sureties,  to  the  acceptance  of  the  Legislature,  for 
the  faithful  discharge  of  his  trust.  He  shall  exhibit  a  true 
account  of  such  monies  when  required  by  the  President,  or 
Legislature,  and  no  monies  shall  be  drawn  from  the  Treasury, 
but  by  warrant  from  the  President  in  consequence  of  appropri- 
ation made  by  law. 

Section  5.  All  ambassadors  and  other  public  ministers  and 
consuls,  the  Secretary  of  State,  of  War,  of  the  Treasury,  and 
of  the  Navy,  the  Attorney  General  and  Post  Master  General, 
shall  hold  their  office  during  the  pleasure  of  the  President.  All 
justices  of  the  peace,  sheriffs,  coroners,  marshals,  clerks  of 
courts,  registers,  and  notaries  public,  shall  hold  their  offices  for 
the  term  of  two  years  from  the  date  of  their  respective  commis- 
sions ;  but  they  may  be  removed  from  office  within  that  time  by 
the  President  at  his  pleasure;  and  all  other  officers  whose  term 
of  office  shall  not  be  otherwise  limited  by  law,  shall  hold  their 
offices  during  the  pleasure  of  the  President. 

Section  6.  Every  civil  officer  may  be  removed  from  office 
by  impeachment  for  official  misconduct.  Every  such  officer  may 
also  be  removed  by  the  President  upon  the  address  of  both 
branches  of  the  Legislature,  stating  their  particular  reason  for 
his  removal.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  President 
who  has  not  been  a  citizen  of  this  Eepublic  for  at  least  five 
years,  and  who  shall  not  have  attained  the  age  of  Thirty-five 
years,  and  who  is  not  possessed  of  unencumbered  real  estate  of 
the  value  of  Six  hundred  dollars. 

Section  7.  The  President  shall  at  stated  times  receive  for 
his  services  compensation  which  shall  neither  be  increased  nor 


APPENDICES.  269 

diminished  during  the  period  for  which  he  shall  have  been 
elected;  and  before  he  enters  on  the  execution  of  his  office,  he 
shall  take  the  following  oath  or  affirmation:  — 

I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm),  that  I  will  faithfully  execute 
the  office  of  President  of  the  Eepuhlic  of  Liberia,  and  will,  to 
the  hest  of  my  ability,  preserve,  i'>rotect  and  defend  the  Con- 
stitution, and  enforce  the  laws  of  the  Eepvblic  of  Liberia. 

ARTICLE  IV 

JUDICIAL   DEPARTMENT 

Section  1.  The  judicial  power  of  this  Republic  shall  be 
vested  in  one  Supreme  Court,  and  such  subordinate  courts  as  the 
Legislature  may  from  time  to  time  establish.  The  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  all  other  judges  of  courts,  shall  hold  their 
office  during  good  behaviour;  but  may  be  removed  by  the  Presi- 
dent, on  the  address  of  two-thirds  of  both  houses  for  that  pur- 
pose, or  by  impeachment,  and  conviction  thereon.  The  judges 
shall  have  salaries  established  by  law,  which  may  be  increased, 
but  not  diminished  during  their  continuance  in  office.  They 
shall  not  receive  other  perquisites,  or  emoluments  whatever  from 
parties,  or  others,  on  account  of  any  duty  required  of  them. 

Section  2.  The  Supreme  Court  shall  have  original  juris- 
diction in  all  cases  affecting  ambassadors,  or  other  public  min- 
isters and  consuls,  and  those  to  which  a  country  shall  be  a  party. 
In  all  other  cases  the  Supreme  Court  shall  have  appellate  juris- 
diction, both  as  to  law  and  facts,  with  such  exceptions  and 
under  such  regulations  as  the  Legislature  shall  from  time  to 
time  make. 

ARTICLE  V 

MISCELLANEOUS   PROVISIONS 

All  laws  now  in  force  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Liberia  and 
not  repugnant  to  the  Constitution  shall  be  in  force  as  the  laws 
of  the  Republic  of  Liberia  until  they  shall  be  repealed  by  the 
Legislature. 

Section  2.  All  judges,  magistrates,  and  other  officers  now 
concerned  in  the  administration  of  justice  in  the  Commonwealth 
of  Liberia,  and  all  other  existing  civil  and  military  officers 
therein,  shall  continue  to  hold  and  discharge  the  duties  of  their 
respective  offices  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  Re- 
public until  others  shall  be  appointed  and  commissioned  in  their 
stead,  pursuant  to  the  Constitution. 


270  LIBERIA. 

Section  3.  All  towns  and  municipal  corporations  within 
the  Republic,  constituted  under  the  laws  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  Liberia,  shall  retain  their  existing  organizations  and  privi- 
leges, and  the  respective  officers  thereof  shall  remain  in  office 
and  act  under  the  authority  of  this  Republic  in  the  same  man- 
ner and  with  like  power  as  they  now  possess  under  the  laws  of 
said  Commonwealth. 

Section  4.  The  first  election  of  President,  Vice-President, 
Senators  and  Representatives,  shall  be  held  on  the  first  Tuesday 
in  October,  in  the  year  of  Our  Lord,  Eighteen  Hundred  and 
Forty-seven,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  election  of  members  of 
the  Council  are  held  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Liberia;  and  the 
votes  shall  be  certified  and  returned  to  the  Colonial  Secretary, 
and  the  result  of  the  election  shall  be  ascertained,  posted,  and 
notified  by  him,  as  is  now  by  law  provided,  in  case  of  such 
members  of  Council. 

Section  5.  All  other  elections  of  Presidents,  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Senators  and  Representatives,  shall  be  held  in  the  respec- 
tive towns  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  May  in  every  two  years;  to 
be  held  and  regulated  in  such  a  manner  as  the  Legislature  may 
by  law  prescribe.  The  returns  of  votes  shall  be  made  to  the 
Secretary  of  State,  who  shall  open  the  same  and  forthwith  issue 
notices  of  the  election  to  the  persons  apparently  so  elected 
Senators  and  Representatives;  and  all  such  returns  shall  be  by 
him  laid  before  the  Legislature  at  its  next  ensuing  session,  to- 
gether with  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  persons  who  appear  by 
such  returns  to  have  been  duly  elected  Senators  and  Representa- 
tives; and  the  persons  appearing  by  said  returns  to  be  duly 
elected  shall  proceed  to  organize  themselves  accordingly,  as  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives.  The  votes  for  President 
shall  be  sorted,  counted  and  declared  by  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives; and  if  no  person  shall  appear  to  have  a  majority  of 
such  votes,  the  Senators  and  Representatives  present,  shall,  in 
convention,  by  joint  ballot,  elect  from  among  the  persons  having 
the  three  highest  number  of  votes,  a  person  to  act  as  President 
for  the  ensuing  term. 

Section  6.  The  Legislature  shall  assemble  once  at  least  in 
every  year,  and  such  meetings  shall  be  on  the  first  Monday  in 
January,  unless  a  different  day  shall  be  appointed  by  law. 

Section  7.  Every  legislator  and  other  officer  appointed 
under  this  Constitution  shall,  before  he  enters  upon  the  duties 
of  his  office,  take  and  subscribe  a  solemn  oath,  or  affirmation, 
to  support  the  Constitution  of  this  Republic,  and  faithfully  and 
impartially  discharge  the  duties  of  such  office.  The  presiding 
officer  of  the  Senate  shall  administer  such  oath  or  afiarmation, 
to  the  President  in  Convention  of  both  Houses;  and  the  Presi- 


APPENDICES.  271 

dent  shall  administer  the  same  to  the  Vice-President,  to  the 
Senators,  and  to  the  Eepresentatives  in  like  manner.  When  the 
President  is  unable  to  attend,  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  may  administer  the  oath,  or  affirmation  to  him  at  any 
place,  and  also  to  the  Vice-President,  Senators,  and  Eepresenta- 
tives, in  convention.  Other  officers  may  take  such  oath,  or 
affirmation  before  the  President,  Chief  Justice,  or  any  other 
person  who  may  be  designated  by  law. 

Section  8.  All  elections  of  public  officers  shall  be  made 
by  a  majority  of  the  votes,  except  in  cases  otherwise  regulated 
by  the  Constitution,  or  by  law. 

Section  9.  Officers  created  by  this  Constitution,  which  the 
present  circumstances  of  the  Republic  do  not  require  that  they 
shall  be  filled,  shall  not  be  filled  until  the  Legislature  shall  deem 
it  necessary. 

Section  10.  The  property  of  which  a  woman  may  be  pos- 
sessed at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  and  also  that  of  which  she 
may  afterwards  become  possessed,  otherwise  than  by  her  hus- 
band, shall  not  be  held  responsible  for  his  debts,  whether 
contracted  before,  or  after  marriage. 

Nor  shall  the  property  thus  intended  to  be  secured  to  the 
woman  be  alienated  otherwise  than  by  her  free  and  voluntary 
consent,  and  such  alienation  may  be  made  by  her  either  by  sale, 
devise,  or  otherwise. 

Section  11.  In  all  cases  in  which  estates  are  insolvent,  the 
widow  shall  be  entitled  to  one  third  of  the  real  estate  during 
her  natural  life,  and  to  one  third  of  the  personal  estate,  which 
she  shall  hold  in  her  own  right,  subject  to  alienation  by  her, 
by  sale,  devise,  or  otherwise. 

Section  12.  No  person  shall  be  entitled  to  hold  real  estate 
in  this  Eepublic  unless  he  be  a  citizen  of  the  same.  Nevertheless 
this  article  shall  not  be  construed  to  apply  to  colonization,  mis- 
sionary, educational,  or  other  benevolent  institutions,  so  long  as 
the  property,  or  estate  is  applied  to  its  legitimate  purpose. 

Section  13.  The  great  object  of  forming  these  colonies  be- 
ing to  provide  a  home  for  the  dispersed  and  oppressed  children 
of  Africa,  and  to  regenerate  and  enlighten  this  benighted  con- 
tinent, none  but  persons  of  color  shall  be  admitted  to  citizenship 
in  this  Republic. 

Section  14.  The  purchase  of  any  land  by  any  citizen,  or 
citizens  from  the  aborigines  of  this  country  for  his  or  their  otvn 
use,  or  for  the  benefit  of  others,  as  estate  or  estates,  in  fee 


272  LIBERIA. 

simple,   shall   be   considered  null   and   void   to   all  intents   and 
purposes. 

Section  15.  The  improvement  of  the  native  tribes  and  their 
advancement  in  the  art  of  agriculture  and  husbandry  being  a 
cherished  object  of  this  government,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the  President  to  appoint  in  each  county  some  discreet  person 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  make  regular  and  periodical  tours 
through  the  country  for  the  purpose  of  calling  the  attention  of 
the  natives  to  those  wholesome  branches  of  industry,  and  of 
instructing  them  in  the  same,  and  the  Ivegislature  shall,  as  soon 
as  it  can  conveniently  be  done,  make  provisions  for  these 
purposes  by  the  appropriation  of  money. 

Section  16.  The  existing  regulations  of  the  American 
Colonization  Society,  in  the  Commonwealth,  relative  to  immi- 
grants, shall  remain  the  same  in  the  Eepublic  until  regulated  by 
compact  between  the  Society  and  the  Eepublic;  nevertheless,  the 
Legislature  shall  make  no  law  prohibiting  emigration.  And  it 
shall  be  among  the  first  duties  of  the  Legislatvire,  to  take  meas- 
ures to  arrange  the  future  relations  between  the  American 
Colonization  Society  and  this  Eepublic. 

Section  17.  This  Constitution  may  be  altered  whenever 
two  thirds  of  both  branches  of  the  Legislature,  shall  deem  it 
necessary;  in  which  case  the  alterations  or  amendments,  shall 
first  be  considered  and  approved  by  the  Legislature  by  the  con- 
currence of  two  thirds  of  the  members  of  each  branch  and 
afterwards  by  them  submitted  to  the  people,  and  adopted  by 
two  thirds  of  all  the  electors  at  the  next  biennial  meeting  for 
the  election  of  Senators,  and  Eepresentatives. 

DONE  in  CONVENTION,  at  Monrovia  in  the  County 
of  Montserrado,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  people 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Liberia,  this  Twenty-sixth  day 
of  July,  in  the  Year  of  Our  Lord  One  Thousand  Eight 
Hundred  and  Forty-seven,  and  of  the  EEPUBLIC  the 
first.  In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereto  set  our  names. 
(As  before.) 

AN  ACT  AMENDING  THE  CONSTITUTION  OE  THE 
EEPUBLIC  OF  LIBEEIA 

1907 

An  Act  proposing  Sundry  Amendments  to  the  Constitution 
of  Liberia. 

It  is  enacted  hy  the  Senate  and  House  of  Eepresentatives  of 
the  BepuMic  of  Liberia  in  Legislature  assembled: — 


APPENDICES.  273 

Section  1.  That  the  following  Amendments  shall  become 
part  of  the  National  Constitution  and  be  submitted  to  the  people 
at  the  ensuing  biennial  election  to  lie  held  on  the  first  Tuesday 
in  May,  A.  D.  1907,  throughout  the  several  counties  of  the  Re- 
public for  their  consideration  and  approval,  or  non-approval, 
and  the  ballot  shall  be  written  "adoption,  or  no  adoption." 

Section  2.  That  Article  3rd,  Section  1st  be  made  to  read, 
' '  The  supreme  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  President, 
who  shall  be  elected  by  the  people  and  shall  hold  his  ofRce  for 
the  term  of  four  years  and  be  elected  quadrennially." 

Section  3.  That  Article  2nd,  Section  2nd,  after  the  words 
' '  Twenty-three  years ' '  be  made  to  read.  The  Representatives 
shall  be  elected  quadrennially  and  shall  serve  for  four  years 
from  the  time  of  their  election. 

Section  4.  That  Article  2nd,  Section  5th,  after  the  words, 
"Twenty-five"  be  made  to  read  "The  Senators  shall  serve  for 
six  years  and  shall  be  elected  quadrennially,  and  those  elected 
May,  A.  D.  1905,  shall  retain  their  seat  for  six  years,  from  the 
time  of  their  election,  and  all  who  are  afterwards  elected,  six 
years. 

Section  5.  That  when  a  vacancy  occurs  in  the  office  of 
Vice-President  by  death,  resignation  or  otherwise,  after  the 
regular  election  of  the  President  and  Vice-President,  the  Presi- 
dent shall  immediately  order  a  special  election  to  fill  said 
vacancy. 

Section  6.  That  Article  5th,  Section  13th  be  made  to  read 
' '  None  but  Negroes  or  persons  of  Negro  descent,  shall  be 
eligible  to  citizenship  in  this  Republic." 

Section  7.  That  Section  3rd,  of  Article  4th,  be  made  to 
read,  "The  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  shall  be  the  Chief  and 
two  Associate  Justices. ' ' 

Any  law  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 


SUGGESTIONS 

Made  by  the  Liberian  Government  to  the  American 
Commission  in  1909 

1.     That  the  Government  of  the  United  States  be  requested 
to  guarantee  as  far  as  practicable  the  independence  and  integ- 
rity  of   Liberia,   either   alone   or   in   conjunction   with   certain 
European  powers. 
18. 


274  LIBERIA.  ^ 

2.  To  advise  and  counsel  the  GoverDment  of  Liberia  on 
international  affairs  and  with  respect  to  reforms. 

3.  The  Government  of  the  United  States  be  requested  to 
liquidate  the  foreign  and  local  indebtedness  of  the  Kepublic, 
taking  over  the  control  of  its  financial  and  customs  administra- 
tions for  a  period  of  years  sufficient  to  effect  a  reorganization 
and  systematization  of  same  under  American  experts  and  allow- 
ing to  the  Eepublic  an  annual  sum  to  be  hereinafter  agreed  upon 
for  the  payment  of  the  expenses  of  the  Government  and  for 
internal  improvements  until  the  amount  advanced  by  the  United 
States  for  the  liquidation  of  the  indebtedness  of  the  Eepublic 
be  paid. 

4.  That  tJie  United  States  Government  be  requested  to  fur- 
nish the  Eepublic  with  experts  for  service  in  such  departments 
of  government  as  may  be  deemed  necessary — at  the  expense  of 
the  latter — -in  order  to  facilitate  and  carry  out  the  necessary 
reforms. 

5.  That  the  Government  of  the  United  States  be  requested 
to  use  its  good  offices  in  inducing  American  capitalists — either 
in  conjunction  with  foreign  capitalists  or  alone — to  establish  a 
bank  in  Liberia  which  shall  receive  the  revenues  of  the  Eepublic 
and  make  advances  to  the  Government  upon  terms  to  be  agreed 
upon,  and  also  to  construct  and  run  railways  and  other  improve- 
ments. 

6.  That  the  Government  of  the  United  States  be  requested 
to  enter  into  an  arbitration  treaty  with  Liberia,  and  to  use  its 
good  and  kind  offices  with  the  European  powers  interested  in 
West  Africa  to  enter  into  similar  engagements  with  the  Eepublic. 

7.  That  the  American  Government  be  requested  to  use  their 
good  offices  to  secure  the  equitable  execution  of  the  boundary 
arrangements  entered  into  between  the  Government  of  Liberia 
and  the  Government  of  Great  Britain  and  France,  especially  to 
assist  the  Government  of  Liberia  diplomatically  to  secure  pos- 
session of  the  Kanre  Lahun  section  and  other  sections  in  the 
north  of  Liberia,  now  occupied  by  Great  Britain,  which  by  the 
Anglo-Liberian  boundary  commission  were  acknowledged  to  this 
Eepublic,  as  well  as  the  securing  to  Liberia  the  hinterland  recog- 
nized as  Liberian  by  the  conventions  concluded  between  her  and 
France,  but  which  has  been  materially  altered  to  the  detriment  of 
Liberia  by  the  delimitation  commission  of  1908-9. 

8.  That  the  Government  of  the  United  States  be  requested 
to  undertake  a  scientific  research  of  the  country  with  the  view 
of  ascertaining  a  more  accurate  knowledge  of  its  mineral,  vege- 
table, and  other  resources,  and  to  interest  American  capitalists 
in  the  development  of  the  same ;  and  also  to  aid  the  Government 
of  Liberia  in  the  establishment  of  a  school  for  scientific  medical 
research  with  particular  reference  to  the  study  of  tropical 
diseases. 

9.  To  aid  the  Government  of  Liberia  in  establishing  indus- 
trial schools  in  one  or  more  of  the  counties  of  the  Eepublic  with 


APPENDICES.  275 

a  view  of  promoting  a  knowledge  of  such  trades  and  industries 
as  will  render  the  Republic  self-reliant. 

10.  To  aid  in  establishing  civilized  centers  on  the  frontiers 
and  hinterland  in  order  to  accelerate  the  uplifting  and  improve- 
ment of  the  natives  and  perpeputate  the  object  of  the  Ameri- 
can founders  of  Liberia. 

11.  To  supervise  the  organization  of  a  police  and  frontier 
force  under  American  officers. 

12.  To  request  the  United  States  war  ships  to  visit  Liberia 
annually,  or  oftener. 

13.  It  is  the  anxious  desire  of  Liberia  that  closer  business 
relations  and  a  substantial  sail  or  steam  service  be  established 
between  the  mother  country  and  ours,  and  to  this  end  we  ear- 
nestly ask  that  the  United  States  will  encourage  and  foster  a 
regular  line  of  steamers  (by  an  American  company)  to  carry 
mails  and  passengers  to  and  from  Liberia  as  well  as  African 
produce  to  the  American  markets. 

14.  The  Government  of  Liberia  here  express  its  willingness 
to  concede  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States  any  rights 
and  privileges  for  the  construction  of  coaling  stations  or  any 
other  enterprises  ^^hich  she  may  deem  necessary  to  enter  upon 
that  would  be  beneficial  to  the  people  and  Government  of  the 
United  States,  the  same  not  being  inconsistent  with  existing 
treaty  stipulations  with  other  foreign  powers. 

LIBERIAN  OFFICIALS 

AGENTS   AND  GOVERNORS 

Eli  Ayres  *   1822 

Frederick  James   1822 

Elijah   Johnson    1822 

Jehudi  Ashman  * 1822 

Lott  Carey 1828 

Richard  Randall  *   1828 

William  Mechlin  *   1829 

John  B.  Pinney  ^ 1834 

Ezekiel  Skinner  *  1835 

A.  D.  Williams 1836 

Thomas  Buchanan  * 1839 

Joseph  J.  Roberts 1841 

GOVERNORS   OF   MARYLAND 

James  Hall  ""    ; 1834 

J.  B.  Russwurm  1836 

S.  F.  McGill 1851 

William  A.  Front 1854 

B.  J.  Drayton 1856 

*  Indicates  white  men. 


276 


LIBERIA. 


PRESIDENTS   AND   VICE-PRESIDENTS   OF   THE  REPUBLIC 


Joseph   J.   Roberts,   Monrovia 1848 


Stephen  A.  Benson,  Buchanan. .. .1856 

Daniel  B.   Warner,   Monrovia 1804 

James  S.  Payne,  Monrovia 1868 

Edward  J.  Eoye,  Monrovia 1870 

Joseph  J.  Roberts,  Monrovia 1872 

James  S.   Payne,   Monrovia 1876 

Anthony  W.  Gardner,  Monrovia.  .  .1878 

(Alfred   P.   Russell) 1883 

Hilary    Richard    Wright    Johnson, 

Monrovia   1884 

Joseph  J.  Cheeseman,  Edina 1892 

William  D.  Coleman,  Clay- Ashland .  1896 
Garretson  W.  Gibson,  Monrovia.  ..  1902 
Arthur  Barclay,  Monrovia 1904 

1908 

Daniel  E.  Howard,  Monrovia 1912 


Nathaniel    Brandes 
A.  D.  Williama 
Stephen  A.  Benson 
Benjamin  Y.  Yates 
Daniel   B.   Warner 
James   Priest 
Joseph  Gibson 
James  S.  Smith 
Anthony  W.  Gardner 
Charles    Harmon 

Alfred  P.  Russell 

James  Thompson 
William  D.  Coleman 
Joseph  J.  Ross 
Joseph    Summerville 
Joseph    Summerville 
James  J.  Dossen 
Samuel  G.  Harmon 


SECRETARIES    OF   STATE 


Hiliary  Teague 
J.  N.  Lewis 

D.  B.   Warner 

E.  W.   Ely  den 

J.  W.  Blackledge 


H.  R.  W.  Johnson 
J.  E.  Moore 
W.  M.  Davis 
Ernest  Barclay 
G.  W.  Gibson 


A.   Barclay 
W.  V.  Gibson 
(pro  tern) 
H.  W.  Travis 


APPENDICES.  277 

NATIONAL  ANTHEM 

All  hail,  Liberia,  hail! 

This  glorious  land  of  liberty 

Shall  long  be  ours. 

Tho'  new  her  name. 

Green  be  her  fame, 

And  mighty  be  her  powers. 

In  joy  and  gladness,  with  our  hearts  united, 
We  '11  shout  the  freedom  of  a  race  benighted. 
Long  live  Liberia,  happy  land. 
A  home  of  glorious  liberty  by  God's  command. 

All  hail !  Liberia,  hail ! 

In  union  strong,  success  is  sure. 

We  cannot  fail. 

With  God  above. 

Our  rights  to  prove, 

We  will  the  world  assail. 

With  heart  and  hand  our  country's  cause  defending 
We  meet  the  foe,  with  valor  unpretending. 
Long  live  Liberia,  happy  land, 
A  home  of  glorious  liberty  by  God's  command. 


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